AdventHealth Cancer Institute receives NAPRC accreditation

Elite Certification Awarded to Only Three Hospitals Nationwide

The AdventHealth Cancer Institute’s rectal cancer program has received a three-year certification by the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC). This accreditation, currently held by only three other hospitals in the country, was developed through a collaboration between the Optimizing the Surgical Treatment of Rectal Cancer (OSTRiCh) Consortium and the Commission on Cancer (CoC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons.

The NAPRC’s primary goal is to ensure rectal cancer patients receive appropriate care using a multidisciplinary approach. To achieve accreditation, programs must demonstrate:

• Establishment of a multidisciplinary rectal cancer team comprised of trained and qualified physicians and coordinators
• Research on supported protocols and processes for rectal cancer care
• Data collection and monitoring to track and continually improve program performance, including care processes, treatment compliance and patient outcomes.
• Adherence to evidence-based procedures, including total mesorectal excision, pathological assessment, and MRI staging and reporting

“Rectal cancer is a particularly challenging condition to treat,” explains AdventHealth Orlando Executive Director of Colorectal Surgery John R.T. Monson, MD. “At AdventHealth Orlando, we have created a unique, multi-disciplinary, treatment program that provides patients from throughout Florida, neighboring states, and even outside the country, with access to a full spectrum of rectal cancer care options.”

Features of AdventHealth Orlando's rectal cancer program that benefit patients and helped the program to achieve NAPRC accreditation include:

• Multidisciplinary rectal cancer team meetings — Every rectal cancer patient’s case is discussed by a specialized multidisciplinary team comprised of medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, colorectal surgeons, radiologists, pathologists, colorectal and oncology nurses, and psychologists. They collaborate and take a consensus approach to creating and monitoring each patient’s customized care plan.
• Volume of rectal cancer patients treated — AdventHealth Orlando treats almost 200 rectal cancer patients a year, placing it in the top five percent of hospitals nationwide in terms of rectal cancer volumes.
• Care standards, clinical outcomes, and patient access to the latest minimally invasive rectal cancer treatment options — AdventHealth Orlando focuses on organ preservation. At least 25 percent of AdventHealth Orlando rectal cancer patients don’t require any surgical intervention, and less than 10 percent receive a colostomy. Non-operative treatment options referred to as “watch and wait,” have increased and include chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
• Leadership in new rectal cancer surgical techniques — AdventHealth Orlando has developed the largest US experience in a minimally invasive laparoscopic surgical technique called TaTME (transanal total mesorectal excision) and has trained more than 200 surgeons from throughout the country on this new procedure.

“Rectal cancer patients are quality seekers. They desire the most effective, least invasive treatment for their condition,” said Dr. Monson. “While major operations with colostomy continue to be the most common rectal cancer treatments at hospitals across the country, we know this is very invasive and can have a significant, negative quality-of-life impact on a patient. At AdventHealth, we are changing the approach to rectal cancer care and reducing the number of patients who require a colostomy. We have assembled a multidisciplinary team of some of the finest rectal cancer specialists in the country and together, we are committed to charting a new path in rectal cancer care — one that is focused on innovation, customized care, and achieving the best possible outcome for each patient with the most minimally invasive treatment option.”

AdventHealth Orlando Executive Director of Colorectal Surgery, John Monson, MD, serves on the Commission on Cancer (CoC) and is on the Steering Committee that developed the NAPRC accreditation standards. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons and served on their Executive Council. Dr. Monson also serves as Vice-President of the Research Committee and Vice-President of the OSTRiCh Consortium on Rectal Cancer Care.

Dr. Monson is fellowship trained in colon and rectal surgery, surgical oncology, and vascular surgery. Prior to joining AdventHealth, Dr. Monson led the development of laparoscopic colorectal surgery in the United Kingdom. He is a former Chair of the U.K.'s National Training Program and has worked extensively on the development of national standards and qualitative assessments of decision-making in cancer care.

AdventHealth Orlando has been recognized by U.S. News and World Report as one of America's best hospitals for gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery, and the AdventHealth Cancer Institute is also accredited by the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI).

To learn more about the AdventHealth Cancer Institute’s rectal cancer program, call Call407-303-1700.