Benefits of Being a CoC-Accredited Program
Applying for and maintaining CoC accreditation is a voluntary commitment by a cancer program that ensures its patients will have access to the full scope of services required to diagnose, treat, rehabilitate, and support patients with cancer and their families. A cancer program is able to continually evaluate its performance and take proactive corrective action when necessary. This continuous evaluation reaffirms the commitment of the program to provide quality cancer care.
Accredited programs receive notable benefits from the CoC that enhance their cancer program. These include:
- National Recognition: CoC accreditation is nationally recognized by organizations such as the JCAHO, American Cancer Society, Aetna, CMS, NQF and the National Cancer Institute as having established performance measures for the provision of high-quality cancer care.
- Organized Care: The CoC offers cancer programs an organizational model for the delivery of comprehensive, multidisciplinary cancer care.
- Quality Improvement Measures: Participation in the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) and access to Comparison Benchmark Reports and other resource tools enable Commission-accredited programs to compare their quality of care and improve performance based on nationally recognized quality measures and standards of care.
- Data Analysis: Participation in CoC special studies that are developed to address important issues in cancer care.
- Public Awareness: Free promotion and national exposure are available to accredited programs through CoC marketing efforts, the CoC Hospital Locator, select payers, and organizations promulgating patient information about where to receive quality cancer care.
For the Patient and Community, the quality standards established by the CoC for cancer programs ensure:
- Comprehensive care including a complete range of state-of-the-art services and equipment
- A multidisciplinary team approach to coordinate the best available treatment options
- Information about ongoing cancer clinical trials and new treatment options
- Access to prevention and early detection programs, cancer education, and support services
- A cancer registry that offers lifelong patient follow-up
- Ongoing monitoring and improvements in cancer care AND
- Quality care, close to home
Revised June 23, 2010