Fletcher Allen, a Vermont university hospital and medical center, serves all of
Vermont and the northern New York region. Located in Burlington, Fletcher Allen is a regional, academic healthcare center and teaching hospital in alliance with the University of Vermont.
Fletcher Allen Receives Accreditation for Advanced Skin Cancer Surgery
“MOHS” Procedure Offers High Cure Rate and Minimizes Cosmetic Issues
(Burlington, VT) The College of American Pathologists (CAP) has awarded Fletcher Allen Health Care accreditation of its MOHS surgical lab based on the results of a recent evaluation.
The MOHS surgical procedure (named for its inventor Dr. Frederic Mohs) involves removal of cancerous lesions and surrounding skin in very thin layers that are immediately examined under a microscope for the presence of cancer cells. If cancer is detected, the surgeon removes additional layers until no cancer can be seen. It is considered the most advanced and effective treatment for most types of skin cancers.
“Vermont has some of the highest rates of skin cancer in the country, so it’s important to be able to provide this procedure to our patients, particularly because the cure rate is high and cosmetic problems can be minimized,” said Glenn Goldman, MD, director of Dermatology at Fletcher Allen and a professor at the UVM College of Medicine. “The CAP accreditation reflects the hard work and skill of our surgeons and other highly trained members of our team.”
To earn accreditation from CAP, the Fletcher Allen MOHS lab had to meet stringent standards for staff qualifications, facilities, quality control and safety among other factors.
On a related note, McGraw-Hill
has just published a book by Dr. Goldman on “facial flap” surgery which is
often used if large openings result from MOHS and other skin cancer procedures. The book provides instruction on a wide range
of flap surgeries, some of which have not been addressed before in a
publication.
Multimedia Resources:
Visit here for an interview with Dr. Goldman on skin cancer in Vermont, MOHS surgery and other treatment options.
A blog about skin cancer by Ted A. James, M.D., FACS, surgical oncologist at Fletcher Allen and Kathryn Schwarzenberger M.D., a dermatologist at Fletcher Allen, who are both also professors at the UVM College of Medicine, is available here.
