Accreditation with Commendation to the cancer program at Frankfort Regional Medical Center The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons (ACoS) has granted a Three-Year Accreditation with Commendation to the cancer program at Frankfort Regional Medical Center.

CoC accreditation is given only to those facilities that have committed to providing the highest level of quality cancer care and to undergoing rigorous evaluation and performance review. Frankfort Regional Medical Center received the Three-Year Accreditation following an on-site evaluation to review compliance with 34 CoC quality care standards in areas including cancer committee leadership, cancer data management, clinical services, research, community outreach and quality improvement.

"We are honored to earn this accreditation from the Commission on Cancer for our cancer program", said Steven Vallance, MD, PhD, FACS, Frankfort Regional’s Cancer Liaison Physician with the ACoS. “Most importantly, this accomplishment enhances the quality of care we provide to our community.”

Frankfort Regional Medical Center’s medical staff currently provides patients the benefits of all major cancer diagnostic and treatment methods, including surgery, medical oncology and radiation oncology. As a member of the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center Affiliate Network, Frankfort Regional Medical Center is able to provide patients access to additional specialty and subspecialty physicians and care when needed, including clinical trials and advanced technology. UK Markey Cancer Center recently became only the 68th National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in the country, and is the only such center in Kentucky. NCI designation means that patients will have access to new drugs, treatment options and clinical trials only offered at NCI centers.

"Since Frankfort Regional Medical Center joined the Markey Cancer Center Affiliate Network in 2011, they have been focused on achieving Commission on Cancer status", said Dr. B. Mark Evers, director of the UK Markey Cancer Center. “It is the standard by which we measure our affiliates’ performance. It shows that the hospital administration, area physicians, and support staff are committed to offering high-quality, multidisciplinary cancer care to their patients. Attaining this status in two years is truly an outstanding accomplishment.”

"Because we are a CoC-accredited cancer center, Frankfort Regional Medical Center takes a multidisciplinary approach to treating cancer as a complex group of diseases that requires consultation among surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, diagnostic radiologists, pathologists, and other cancer specialists", said Sean Owens, MD, Chair of the hospital’s Cancer Committee and Tumor Board. "This multidisciplinary approach also includes consultation with other clinical services including nutritional services, social workers, physical therapy, oncology nurse navigators, as well as others. This approach is critical for the overall care of the patient."

Frankfort Regional Medical Center’s CoC Three-Year Accreditation with Commendation ensures that a patient will have access to:

  • Comprehensive care, including a range of state-of-the-art services and equipment
  • A multispecialty, team approach to coordinate the best treatment options
  • Information about ongoing clinical trials and new treatment options
  • Access to cancer-related information, education and support
  • A cancer registry that collects data on type and stage of cancers and treatment results and offers lifelong patient follow-up
  • Ongoing monitoring and improvement of care
  • Quality care close to home

"I am very pleased with Frankfort Regional Medical Center’s three year accreditation that includes two commendations as a Community Hospital Cancer Program", said Dr. Owens. "This accreditation represents a two year collaborative effort of many disciplines and integral staff within our organization. Working as one, the members of our Cancer Committee have focused on creating a comprehensive, patient-centered cancer care program."

Like all CoC-accredited facilities, Frankfort Regional Medical Center maintains a cancer registry and contributes data to the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB), a joint program of the CoC and American Cancer Society (ACS). 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.

"This accreditation opens up tools for Frankfort Regional Medical Center to compare our program to similar programs across the nation, allowing us to identify opportunities to enhance services and identify new trends in cancer care which we can offer to our community", explained Dr. Vallance.

The CoC Accreditation Program provides the framework for Frankfort Regional Medical Center to improve its quality of patient care through various cancer-related programs that focus on the 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 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, a patient navigation process, and a survivorship care plan that documents the care each patient receives and seeks to improve cancer survivors’ quality of life.