Mary Bird Perkins Maintains Prestigious ACR Accreditation

(Baton Rouge, La.) Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center has been awarded a three-year term of reaccreditation in radiation oncology as the result of a recent review by the American College of Radiology (ACR). The Cancer Center has been reaccredited for its Baton Rouge, Gonzales, Hammond, Covington and Houma locations. Radiation oncology (radiation therapy) is the careful use of high-energy radiation to treat cancer. A radiation oncologist may use radiation to cure cancer or to relive a cancer patient’s pain. “The Mary Bird team and our hospital partners are proud of this achievement, but for us, the bigger picture is that this process results in an even higher caliber of care for our patients,” said Dr. Charles Wood, medical director of radiation oncology. “The level of sophistication, innovation and expertise that our physicians, medical physicists, radiation therapists and other support staff team members provide is phenomenal, and many of them were trained at some of the world’s leading academic cancer centers. We are fortunate to have the best team in Louisiana, and we are always prepared to help people fight cancer in every way possible.” The ACR is the nation’s oldest and most widely accepted radiation oncology accrediting body, with over 650 accredited sites and 29 years of accreditation experience. The ACR seal of accreditation represents the highest level of quality and patient safety. It is awarded only to facilities meeting specific Practice Guidelines and Technical Standards developed by ACR after a peer-review evaluation by board-certified radiation oncologists and medical physicists who are experts in the field. Patient care and treatment, patient safety, personnel qualifications, adequacy of facility equipment, quality control procedures and quality assurance programs are assessed. The findings are reported to the ACR Committee on Radiation Oncology Accreditation, which subsequently provides the practice with a comprehensive report they can use for continuous practice improvement. The ACR is a national professional organization serving more than 36,000 diagnostic/interventional radiologists, radiation oncologists, nuclear medicine physicians and medical physicists with programs focusing on the practice of medical imaging and radiation oncology and the delivery of comprehensive health care services. Mary Bird Perkins has been ACR accredited since 2009. Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center is a regional cancer care organization that has been fighting cancer for more than 40 years. With five centers in Baton Rouge, Covington, Hammond, Houma and Gonzales, its service area encompasses 18 parishes across southeast Louisiana. For more information, please visit www.marybird.org.