Covenant rectal cancer program earns national accreditation for quality care
Saginaw, Mich. - Covenant HealthCare has earned a three-year accreditation from the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons.
Covenant HealthCare is just one of two accredited programs in Michigan, and one of only 39 accredited programs nationwide.
To achieve voluntary NAPRC accreditation, a rectal center must demonstrate compliance with the NAPRC standards addressing program management, clinical services, and quality improvement for patients. Centers are required to establish a multidisciplinary rectal cancer team that includes clinical representatives from surgery, pathology, radiology, radiation oncology, and medical oncology.
Additionally, the program met standards addressing the clinical services that the rectal cancer program provides, including Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA testing), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and Computerized Tomography (CT) imaging for cancer staging which allow patients to start treatment within a defined timeframe. Rectal cancer programs accredited by the NAPRC undergo a site visit every three years and are also accredited by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer.
“The NAPRC accreditation is an important milestone for our program which helps ensure quality rectal cancer care by bringing together a multidisciplinary team of colorectal surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, radiologists and pathologists dedicated to the treatment of colorectal cancer,” says Dr. Tareq Kamal, Covenant HealthCare Rectal Cancer Program Director.
Accreditation by the NAPRC is granted only to those programs that are committed to providing the best possible care to patients with rectal cancer. The NAPRC provides the structure and resources develop and operate a high-quality rectal center and accredited programs follow a model for organizing and managing a rectal center to ensure multidisciplinary, integrated, comprehensive rectal cancer services.
Congratulations to the entire Rectal Cancer multidisciplinary team at the Covenant Cancer Care Center.
About the Covenant Cancer Care Center
From diagnosis to treatment to rehabilitation, the experts of the nationally recognized Covenant Cancer Care Center will stand by you every step of the way. That’s why on average, the Center’s departments rank in the top 10% in the country for patient experience. We are the Great Lakes Bay Region’s most preferred hospital for cancer care, treating more cancer cases than any other area hospital. Add the latest technology and a comprehensive team of specialists, and you have extraordinary care, close to home. Learn more: www.covenanthealthcare.com/ch/cancercare | www.covenanthealthcare.com/cmg/colon-and-rectal-surgery
About the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer
The NAPRC was developed through a collaboration between the Commission on Cancer (CoC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons, and the Optimizing the Surgical Treatment of Rectal Cancer (OSTRiCh) Consortium, as well as the American College of Radiology (ACR), the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS), and the College of American Pathologists (CAP). The NAPRC is based on successful international models that emphasize program structure, patient care processes, performance improvement, and performance measures. Its goal is to ensure that rectal cancer patients receive appropriate care using a multidisciplinary approach. For more information visit www.facs.org/naprc.
About the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer
Established in 1922 by the ACS, 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. For more information on the CoC, visit: www.facs.org/quality-programs/cancer/coc.