Gina – please format like other press releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 2, 2015
Media Contact:
Makana McClellan
(808) 691-4105
THE QUEEN’S MEDICAL CENTER RECEIVES NATIONAL
ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FROM THE COMMISSION ON CANCER
OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS
The Queen’s Medical Center is the only hospital in Hawaii to receive this recognition
HONOLULU – The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons
(ACoS) has granted its Outstanding Achievement Award to The Queen‟s Medical Center
(QMC) as a result of surveys performed during 2014. QMC is one of a select group of 75
currently accredited and newly accredited cancer programs across the United States.
Since 2004, the CoC Outstanding Achievement Award (OAA) recognizes cancer
programs that strive for excellence in providing quality care to cancer patients. The award
is granted to facilities that demonstrate a Commendation level of compliance with 34
program standards that represent four areas of cancer program activity: cancer committee
leadership, cancer data management, clinical services, and quality improvement.
“The Queen‟s Medical Center is pleased to receive the CoC‟s Outstanding Achievement
Award. This award recognizes the work of our dedicated physicians and staff who
continue to provide the full scope of services required to diagnose, treat and support those
with cancer and their families,” said Darlena Chadwick, Queen‟s Vice President for
Patient Care.
“This award affirms our voluntary commitment to maintain CoC approval at Queen‟s,”
said AnnaLyn Ogata, Director of Queen‟s Oncology Services. “It speaks to the ability of
the staff at The Queen‟s Medical Center to consistently deliver the highest level of
quality cancer care to the patients we serve.”
“There are 1,500 Commission on Cancer approved programs in the United States. This
Outstanding Achievement Award places Queen‟s in the top 15% of those institutions,”
said Paul Morris, M.D., F.A.C.S., Chair of QMC‟s Cancer Committee and Principal
Investigator, NCI Community Cancer Centers Program (NCCCP). “Queen‟s was also
proud to be one of 19 community hospitals nationwide and the only hospital in Hawaii to
be selected by the NCI to participate in the NCCCP from 2010 to 2014.”
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QMC was further evaluated on seven commendation standards. The level of compliance
with these seven standards is determined during an on-site evaluation by a physician
surveyor. Facilities must receive commendation ratings in all seven commendation
standards, in addition to a compliance rating for each of the remaining 27 cancer program
standards. During 2014, 75 programs, including QMC, represented approximately 15
percent of programs surveyed. A majority of recipients are community-based facilities;
however, academic hospitals, integrated networks, and a Veterans Affairs facility also
received the award.
The full list of award recipients is available online at
https://www.facs.org/quality-programs/cancer/accredited/about/outstanding/2014.
The Accreditation Program, a component of the CoC, sets quality-of-care standards for
cancer programs and reviews the programs to ensure they conform to those standards.
Accreditation by the CoC is given only to those facilities that have voluntarily committed
to providing the highest level of quality cancer care and that undergo a rigorous
evaluation process and review of their performance. To maintain accreditation, facilities
with CoC-accredited cancer programs must undergo an on-site review every three years.
There are currently more than 1,500 CoC-accredited cancer programs in the US and
Puerto Rico, representing 30 percent of all hospitals. CoC-accredited facilities diagnose
and/or treat more than 70 percent of all newly diagnosed cancer patients each year.
Established in 1922 by the American College of Surgeons, the Commission on Cancer 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.
In addition, QMC is one of 12 sites in the nation selected by the National Cancer Institute
(NCI) to participate in the NCI‟s Minority Based Community Oncology Research
Program (NCORP). The main focus of the NCORP is to bring cancer clinical trials and
cancer care delivery research to people in their own communities, thereby generating a
broadly applicable evidence base that contributes to improved patient outcomes and a
reduction in cancer disparities.
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About The Queen’s Medical Center
The Queen‟s Medical Center is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation, acute care medical facility accredited by The Joint
Commission. The facility houses 505 acute beds and 28 sub-acute beds and is widely known for its programs in cancer,
cardiovascular disease, neuroscience, orthopaedics, surgery, emergency medicine and trauma, and behavioral medicine.
Queen‟s is home to a number of residency programs offered in conjunction with the John A. Burns School of Medicine
at the University of Hawaii. Queen‟s has achieved Magnet® status – the highest institutional honor for hospital
excellence – from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Magnet recognition is held by less than six percent of
hospitals in the United States. Queen‟s is the first hospital in Hawai„i to achieve Magnet status.
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About the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Commission on Cancer (CoC)
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. The CoC provides the public with information on the resources, services
and cancer treatment experience for each CoC-accredited cancer program. The CoC‟s accreditation program
encourages hospitals, treatment centers, and other facilities to improve their quality of patient care through various
cancer-related programs. For more information on the CoC, visit: www.facs.org/cancer/index.html.
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