Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center In Covington Earns National Accreditation from the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons

(Covington, La.) – The Commission on Cancer (CoC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) has granted Three-Year Accreditation to Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center Covington. To earn voluntary CoC accreditation, a cancer program must meet 34 CoC 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. 

As a CoC-accredited cancer center, the Cancer Center uses a multidisciplinary approach in treating cancer by involving consultation among surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, diagnostic radiologists, pathologists, and other cancer specialists. This multidisciplinary partnership results in improved patient care.

“Our team is honored to receive this recognition from CoC,” Mike Miranda, administrator, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Covington,” said. “This accreditation serves as validation for all of the hard work each and every team member puts in to continue providing exemplary care to our patients. Receiving this designation further fuels our passion to provide the best care possible so more people can triumph over cancer.”

The CoC Accreditation Program provides the framework for Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Covington to enhance the quality of patient care through various cancer-related programs that focus on the full spectrum of cancer care including radiation and medical oncology, prevention, early diagnosis, cancer staging, optimal treatment, rehabilitation, life-long follow-up recurrent disease, and end-of-life care. When patients receive care at a CoC facility, they also have access to information on clinical trials and new treatments, genetic counseling, and patient-centered services including psycho-social support and a patient navigation process.

“The more resources we have at our disposal will only help to enhance the leading-edge care the Cancer Center has become known for providing,” Scott Bermudez, M.D., radiation oncologist, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Covington, said. “Cancer care is continuously evolving, and this accreditation demonstrates how we continue to transform with the industry through various cancer-related programs ranging from prevention to treatment.”

Like all CoC-accredited facilities, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Covington maintains a cancer registry and contributes data to the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB), a joint program of the CoC and American Cancer Society. This nationwide oncology outcomes database is the largest clinical disease registry in the world. Data on all types of cancer are tracked and analyzed through the NCDB and used to explore trends in cancer care. CoC-accredited cancer centers, in turn, 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 CoC facilities with their quality improvement efforts.

“Patient care is at the heart of what we do, and this accreditation solidifies that,” Dr. Bermudez said. “Patients can take comfort in the fact that they have access to the most comprehensive cancer care fueled by nationwide collaboration.”

There are currently more than 1,500 CoC-accredited cancer programs in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. CoC-accredited facilities diagnose and/or treat more than 70 percent of all newly diagnosed cancer patients. When cancer patients choose to seek care locally at a CoC-accredited cancer center, they are gaining access to comprehensive, state-of-the-art cancer care close to home. The CoC provides the public with information on the resources, services, and cancer treatment experience for each CoC-accredited cancer program through the CoC Hospital locater at https://www.facs.orgsearch/cancer-programs.

Established in 1922 by the American College of Surgeons, 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. Its membership includes Fellows of the American College of Surgeons. For more information, visit: www.facs.org/cancer.

For more information about Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center Covington and services offered, visit marybird.org/covington.

 

About Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center
Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center is a regional cancer care organization that has been fighting cancer for more than 50 years. The cancer care organization provides care at eight centers in Baton Rouge, Covington, Hammond, Houma, Gonzales, and Natchez, Mississippi, and its service area encompasses southeast Louisiana and southwest Mississippi regions. Mary Bird Perkins has a strategic partnership with OneOncology and the largest radiation and medical oncology groups from across the area including exclusive partnerships with Southeastern Louisiana Radiation Oncology Group, which provides radiation therapy throughout Mary Bird Perkins’ service areas, Northshore Oncology Associates, serving St. Tammany and Washington Parishes, specifically the communities of Covington and Slidell and Louisiana Hematology Oncology Associates, which services the Greater Baton Rouge area. For more information, please visit www.marybird.org.