Hospital Earns National Cancer Accreditation with Commendation

ORANGE CITY, Fla., September 26, 2017 The American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer has granted Florida Hospital Fish Memorial a three-year accreditation with commendation.

In the U.S. and Puerto Rico, there are more than 1,500 Commission on Cancer-accredited facilities. These facilities diagnose and treat more than 70 percent of all newly diagnosed cancer patients.

Earning the Commission on Cancer accreditation recognizes our commitment to providing the best in cancer diagnosis and treatment, said Dr. Victor Melgen, hematologist and medical oncologist with Florida Cancer Specialists at Florida Hospital Fish Memorial. When cancer patients choose to seek care locally at our hospital, they are gaining access to comprehensive, state-of-the-art cancer care close to home that is also nationally accredited.

To earn Commission on Cancer accreditation, a cancer program must meet or exceed the Commission on Cancers 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. The three-year accreditation with commendation is only awarded to a facility that exceeds standard requirements at the time of its triennial survey.

Recognizing that cancer is a complex group of diseases, the Commission on Cancer program standards promote consultation among surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, diagnostic radiologists, pathologists, and other cancer specialists. This multidisciplinary cooperation results in improved patient care.

The Commission on Cancer accreditation program provides the framework for Florida Hospital Fish Memorial to improve patient care through various cancer-related programs including prevention, early diagnosis, cancer staging, optimal treatment, rehabilitation, life-long follow-up for recurrent disease, and end-of-life care.

When patients receive care at a Commission on Cancer facility like Florida Hospital Fish Memorial, they also have access to information on clinical trials, new treatments, and genetic counseling, as well as services such as psycho-social support, patient navigation, and a survivorship care plan that seeks to improve cancer survivors quality of life.

Like all Commission on Cancer-accredited facilities, Florida Hospital Fish Memorial maintains a cancer registry and contributes data to the National Cancer Data Base, a joint program of the Commission on Cancer and American Cancer Society. This national database is the largest clinical disease registry in the world. Data on all types of cancer are tracked and analyzed to explore trends in cancer care. In turn, Commission on Cancer-accredited cancer centers 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 Commission on Cancer facilities with their quality improvement efforts.

The Commission on Cancer provides information on the resources, services and cancer treatment experience for each Commission on Cancer-accredited cancer program through the Commission on Cancer hospital locator at https://www.facs.org/search/cancer-programs.

About the Commission on Cancer

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. Its membership includes Fellows of the American College of Surgeons. For more information, visit: www.facs.org/cancer

About Florida Hospital Fish Memorial

Florida Hospital Fish Memorial is a member of Adventist Health System, a faith-based health care organization with 45 hospital campuses and 8,200 licensed beds in nine states, serving more than 5 million patients annually. With a mission to extend the healing ministry of Christ, Florida Hospital Fish Memorial has 175-beds and is one of the seven Florida Hospitals in Flagler, Lake and Volusia counties that composes the Florida Hospital Central Florida Division - North Region. As the largest hospital system in the area, the Florida Hospital Central Florida Division - North Region has 1,226 beds and more than 7,800 employees.

About Florida Cancer Specialists and Research Institute

Founded in 1984, Florida Cancer Specialists and Research Institute (FCS) is the largest independent medical oncology/hematology practice in the United States. Recognized by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) with a national Clinical Trials Participation Award, FCS offers patients access to more clinical trials than any private oncology practice in Florida. 84% of new cancer drugs approved in 2016 for use in the U.S. were studied in clinical trials conducted with FCS participation*. Florida Cancer Specialists has built a national reputation for excellence that is reflected in exceptional and compassionate patient care, driven by innovative clinical research and cutting-edge technologies that help advance targeted treatments and genetically-based immunotherapies, and embodied by our outstanding team of highly-trained and dedicated physicians, clinicians and staff.

* Prior to approval