Emanuel Cancer Center has once again been granted a three-year accreditation by the Commission on Cancer of the American College Surgeons.

As an accredited program, the Emanuel Cancer Center takes a multidisciplinary approach to treating cancer as a complex group of diseases that require consultation among surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, diagnostic radiologists, pathologists and other cancer specialists. This multidisciplinary partnership results in improved patient care.

“For patients, this accreditation means the care and treatment they receive at Emanuel Cancer Center meets the same standards and follows the same guidelines as the other accredited centers in the nation,” said Sue Micheletti, chief executive officer at Emanuel Medical Center. “That’s something the whole community can be proud of.”

To earn accreditation, the cancer center must meet all 34 quality care standards, is evaluated every three years through a survey process, and must maintain levels of excellence in the delivery of comprehensive patient-centered care.

The accreditation provides a blueprint for Emanuel Cancer Center to continually improve the quality of its patient care through programs that focus on full spectrum of cancer care, 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 Emanuel Cancer Center, they also have access to information on clinical trials and new treatments, genetic counseling, and a full array of patient-centered services,” explained Emanuel Cancer Center Executive Director Michael Iltis. “These include support groups, a cancer resource center and financial counseling among many others.”

Like all accredited facilities, Emanuel 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 nationwide oncology-outcomes database is the largest clinical disease registry in the world, in which data on all types of cancer are tracked and analyzed to explore trends in cancer care.

For information about Emanuel Cancer Center, visit www.emanuelmedicalcenter.org/cancer. To search for a doctor by specialty or location call 209-250-5350.