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.
Vermont Cancer Center Receives Top Rating from National Commission
February 11, 2013
Contacts:
Jennifer Nachbur
UVM College of Medicine
(802) 656-7875
Michael Carrese
Fletcher Allen Health Care
(802) 847-2886
(BURLINGTON, VT) The Vermont Cancer Center has been awarded a “Three Year Accreditation with Commendation” from the Commission on Cancer, a component of the American College of Surgeons. It is the highest performance rating granted by the Commission, and is based on comparisons to all accredited cancer programs in the nation.
The Vermont Cancer Center (VCC) earned this renewed designation for surpassing numerous standards that encompass research activity, clinical care, quality improvement and community outreach. Seven areas were given special recognition including outcomes analysis, the number of clinical trials underway, and strong efforts to educate the public on prevention and early detection.
“Earning the highest rating is a testament to the teamwork of dozens of specialists and staff who are all dedicated to providing our patients and their families with the excellent care they need from diagnosis to survivorship support,” said Claire Verschraegen, M.D., co-director of the Vermont Cancer Center.
“It is a privilege to provide leadership for the only comprehensive clinical and cancer research center in the state,” said Gary Stein, Ph.D. co-director of the Center. “This designation from the Commission on Cancer acknowledges that we are a destination cancer center for our region which delivers critical benefits to our community at the highest level.”
This news comes as the University of Vermont, the College of Medicine and Fletcher Allen are investing more than $20 million in key VCC programs in basic sciences, clinical and translational research, and recruitment of additional researchers with the goal of making the greatest possible contribution to advancing the fight against cancer.
More on Standards
Key areas evaluated by
the Commission on Cancer include:
- Quality of care
- Comprehensiveness of care
- State-of-the-art services and equipment
- A team approach to coordinating the best treatment options available to patients
- Information about cancer clinical trials, education and support
- Lifelong patient follow-up through a cancer registry that collects data on type and stage of cancers and treatment results
- Ongoing monitoring and improvement of care
Multimedia Resources:
> Watch brief reactions to news of the top ranking from the Co-Directors of the Cancer Center in this video
> Attached photo: (credit UVM Medical Photography)
Vermont Cancer Center researcher Yvonne Janssen-Heininger (right) in her
lab with a graduate student
About the Vermont Cancer Center
The Vermont Cancer Center
is a not-for-profit comprehensive clinical and research cancer center, the only
such organization in the state of Vermont. Founded in 1974, the Vermont Cancer
Center is located within the University of Vermont (UVM) College of Medicine
and enjoys a clinical partnership with Fletcher Allen Health Care, Vermont's
academic medical center with UVM. The organization is comprised of more than135
scientists and physicians engaged in a full range of basic, translational,
clinical, and outcomes research that seeks to uncover new knowledge and
understanding about cancer and the issues that affect people with the disease. www.vermontcancer.org
About the Commission on Cancer
The Commission on Cancer (CoC) is a consortium of professional
organizations dedicated to improving survival and quality of life for cancer
patients through standard-setting, prevention, research, education, and the
monitoring of comprehensive quality care. Established by the American College
of Surgeons (ACoS) in 1922, the multidisciplinary CoC establishes standards to
ensure quality, multidisciplinary, and comprehensive cancer care delivery in
health care settings; conducts surveys in health care settings to assess
compliance with those standards; collects standardized data from CoC-accredited
health care settings to measure cancer care quality; uses data to monitor
treatment patterns and outcomes and enhance cancer control and clinical
surveillance activities, and develops effective educational interventions to
improve cancer prevention, early detection, cancer care delivery, and outcomes
in health care settings. Commission
membership includes Fellows of the American College of Surgeons and 49 national
organizations that reflect the full spectrum of cancer care. www.facs.org/cancer
