Gene Upshaw Memorial Tahoe Forest Cancer Center Earns National Accreditation with Commendation from the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons

The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons (ACoS) has granted three-year accreditation to the cancer program at the Gene Upshaw Memorial Tahoe Forest Cancer Center. The CoC accreditation provides value through improved patient outcomes across all domains of care including access and service, satisfaction and well-being, quality of care and cancer outcomes.

To earn voluntary CoC accreditation, a cancer program must meet or exceed the CoC quality care standards, be evaluated every three years through a survey process, and maintain levels of excellence in the delivery of comprehensive patient-centered care. Three-Year Accreditation with Commendation is only awarded to a facility that exceeds standard requirements at the time of its triennial survey.

Because it is a CoC-accredited cancer center, the Gene Upshaw Memorial Tahoe Forest Cancer Centertakes a multidisciplinary approach to treating cancer as a complex group of diseases that requires consultation among surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, diagnostic radiologists, pathologists, and other cancer specialists. CoC-accredited cancer programs are dedicated to providing the best in patient-centered care.

“We are very proud of our physicians and employees for receiving ACOS accreditation with commendation for the third time” said Harry Weis, President & CEO for Tahoe Forest Health System. “By connecting all of the important elements of the patient care experience, we are delivering a model of care that is truly next generation – highly compassionate care with amazing clinical tools and incredible patient outcomes.”

The CoC Accreditation Program provides the framework for the Gene Upshaw Memorial Tahoe Forest Cancer Centerto improve its quality of patient care through various cancer-related programs that focus on the full spectrum of cancer care including prevention, early diagnosis, cancer staging, optimal treatment, rehabilitation, lifelong follow-up for recurrent disease, and end-of-life care.

When patients receive care at a CoC facility, they also have access to information on clinical trials and new treatments, genetic counseling, and patient-centered services including psycho-social support, a patient navigation process, and a survivorship care plan that documents the care each patient receives and seeks to improve cancer survivors’ quality of life.

Like all CoC-accredited facilities, the Gene Upshaw Memorial Tahoe Forest Cancer Center maintains a cancer registry and contributes data to the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB), a joint program of the CoC and American Cancer Society (ACS). This nationwide oncology outcomes database is the largest clinical disease registry in the world. Data on all types of cancer are tracked and analyzed through the NCDB and used to explore trends in cancer care. CoC-accredited cancer centers, in turn, have access to information derived from this type of data analysis, which is used to create national, regional, and state benchmark reports. These reports help CoC facilities with their quality improvement efforts.

When cancer patients choose to seek care locally at a CoC-accredited cancer center, they are gaining access to comprehensive, state-of-the-art cancer care close to home. The CoC provides the public with information on the resources, services, and cancer treatment experience for each CoC-accredited cancer program through the CoC Hospital Locator.

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.