Wenatchee Valley Medical Center’s Cancer Treatment Program has been awarded a Three Year with Commendation certification by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer...
Wenatchee Valley Medical Center’s Cancer Treatment Program has been awarded a Three Year with Commendation certification by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer.
Oncologist Julie Smith, MD, says, “The certification we received represents the cumulative work of many years. We have documented quality control on multiple levels of our cancer program, and were rigorously analyzed against national standards.”
Wenatchee Valley Cancer Treatment Center is approved as a Community Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Program and received nine out of nine possible commendations, an achievement attained by only 10 to 15 percent of certified programs in the United States. In Washington, only 27.8 percent of applicants were awarded the ‘Commendation’ rating.
“We set the goal to become one of the leading comprehensive cancer centers,” says Dr. Smith. “Not only in the state of Washington, but in the entire country.”
The accreditation recognizes programs that offer the entire spectrum of cancer care, from prevention to diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and supportive care.
“To receive this certification you must be a comprehensive cancer program and have specific programs in place that benefit the entire community on all aspects of cancer care,” says Dr. Smith. “Not just medical oncology but radiation oncology, surgical oncology, pathology, home heath care and hospice, and tumor registry. Additionally, we’re very involved with the Wellness Place, and provide outreaching educational programs to physicians, and other care providers, and the community.”
Approval by the Commission is given only to those facilities that have voluntarily committed to provide the best in diagnosis and treatment of cancers. To meet the standards necessary each cancer program, and the organization that controls it, must undergo a rigorous evaluation process and a review of its performance. In order to maintain approval, facilities with approved cancer programs must undergo an onsite review every three years.
“We applied for the certification, survey process over a year ago,” says Dr. Smith. We went through the final survey on April 24th - an onsite survey from the American College of Surgeons, Commission on Cancer, where every aspect of the program was reviewed in great detail. As a result of receiving approval, this ensures that patients will receive quality care closer to home, comprehensive care offering a range of state-of-the-art services and equipment, a multi-specialty team approach, access to cancer-related information, education, and support. The cancer registry will collect data on the type and stage of cancers and treatment results, and offers lifelong patient follow-up.
The Cancer program at Wenatchee Valley Medical Center will undergo ongoing monitoring and improvement of care. Additional information about ongoing clinical trials and new treatment options are available to Cancer programs with accreditation through the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer.”
The Wenatchee Valley Cancer Treatment Center Cancer is a member of the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance network, a partnership of that unites Wenatchee Valley Medical Center physicians with physicians from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, UW Medicine, and Seattle Children's Hospital.