The Commission on Cancer (CoC) and the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC) has recently granted reaccreditation to the Program in Women’s Oncology at Women & Infants Hospital with three nominations for national best practice. The CoC and NAPBC are organizations for the American College of Surgeons which establish standards to ensure quality, multidisciplinary, and comprehensive cancer care delivery.
One area of special recognition was for the clinical research conducted by the Programs nationally recognized research team. The Program in Women’s Oncology has the second highest amount of patients enrolled in clinical trials through the GOG foundation and NRG oncology in the nation. Both the GOG foundation and NRG oncology are industry leading research organizations. Another area of strength and commendation included the rate of nurses who are oncology certified which was substantially above the established standard.
According to the American College of Surgeons, the high-quality standards of the CoC set the framework for a program that provides high-quality, patient-centered care and access to the full scope of cancer care services required to diagnose, treat, rehabilitate, and support.
The Program in Women’s Oncology earned the NAPBC reaccreditation due to their Breast Health Center’s full suite of services, including board certified breast surgeons, medical oncologists, plastic reconstructive surgeons, genetic counselors, and psychosocial support professionals in addition to nurse navigator services, palliative care programs, and survivorship programs.
“Our mission has always been to provide outstanding clinical care, contribute to the latest standard of care through cutting edge research, and educate the future leaders in our discipline,” said Paul DiSilvestro, MD, director of the Program in Women’s Oncology and the Division of Gynecologic Oncology. “These accreditations are affirmation of that mission.”
To achieve accreditation, it took a collaborative, team approach as these surveys touch upon on all facets of the program ─ from surgeons and medical oncologists to social workers and genetic counselors. Fortunately, by having each member already fully engaged in delivering the highest quality health care in the region, it was simply a matter of showcasing to the surveyor the tremendous work already being done every day.
Established in 1922 by the American College of Surgeons, the CoC is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to improving patient outcomes and quality of life for cancer patients through standard-setting, prevention, research, education, and the monitoring of comprehensive, quality care. Its membership includes Fellows of the American College of Surgeons. For more information, visit facs.org/cancer.
Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, a Care New England hospital, is one of the nation’s leading specialty hospitals for women and newborns. A major teaching affiliate of The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University for obstetrics, gynecology, and newborn pediatrics, as well as a number of specialized programs in women’s medicine, Women & Infants is the ninth largest stand-alone obstetrical service in the country and the largest in New England with approximately 8,300 deliveries per year. Women & Infants is a Designated Baby-Friendly® USA hospital, a U.S. News & World Report 2014-15 Best Children’s Hospital in Neonatology, and a 2014 Leapfrog Top Hospital. The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology ranked number 11 in U.S. News & World Report’s 2019 Best Medical Schools specialty ranking.
Women & Infants has been designated as a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiography; a Center of Excellence in Minimally Invasive Gynecology; Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence in Perinatal Biology and in Reproductive Health by the National Institutes of Health (NIH); and a Neonatal Resource Services Center of Excellence. It is one of the largest and most prestigious research facilities in high risk and normal obstetrics, gynecology, and newborn pediatrics in the nation, and is a member of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Maternal Fetal Medicine Units Network, Neonatal Research Network, and Pelvic Floors Disorders Network, as well as the National Cancer Institute’s Gynecologic Oncology Group.