BCHS Receives ‘Outstanding Achievement Award’ for Cancer Care (Battle Creek) 03/10/2009 The Cancer Care Center at Battle Creek Health System has been awarded the Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons’ 2008 Outstanding Achievement Award (OAA) as a Community Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Program. This three-year approval ranks BCHS among the best hospitals nationwide. In December 2008, The Cancer Care Center was also recognized with a ‘commendation’ award from the CoC.
Approval by the Commission on Cancer is awarded only to those facilities that have voluntarily committed to provide the best in diagnosis and treatment of cancer and that undergo a rigorous evaluation process and review of their performances. In order to maintain this recognition, facilities with approved cancer programs must also undergo an on-site review every three years.
A facility receives the OAA following an on-site evaluation by a physician surveyor during which the facility demonstrates a ‘commendation’ level of compliance with seven standards that represent the full scope of the cancer program (cancer committee leadership, cancer data management, clinical services, research, community outreach, and quality improvement). In addition, a facility receives a compliance rating for the remaining 29 standards. Only 93 programs nationwide received the OAA in 2008. That number represents approximately 19 percent of the programs surveyed.
“The Outstanding Achievement Award is designed to recognized cancer programs that strive for excellence in providing quality care to cancer patients,” says Patrick Garrett, president and CEO of Battle Creek Health System. "It is a recognition that speaks volumes about the comprehensive care patients receive at our Cancer Care Center, and of our commitment that patients will have access to the best medical specialists and treatment when fighting cancer. We are especially appreciative of Drs. Wendy French, Randy Mudge, Vincent Shen, Stephen Smiley, Sue Tobin and their staffs for their leadership and expertise in providing such superb clinical care."
"Receiving treatment in a Commission on Cancer-approved program ensures that a patient has access to quality care close to home," added Jeffrey Mitchell, M.D., vice president of medical affairs at BCHS. "Our programs offer information and comprehensive state-of-the-art services based upon the latest cancer clinical trials, a multi-specialty team approach that coordinates the best treatment options, world-class technology, life-long patient follow-up through cancer registry, and ongoing monitoring and improvement of care."
Established by the American College of Surgeons in 1922, the Approvals Program sets stringent standards for cancer programs and reviews the programs to make certain they conform to those standards. Recognizing that cancer is a complex group of diseases, the program promotes consultation among surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, diagnostic radiologists, pathologists, and other cancer specialists.
The Approvals Program, a component of the CoC, sets quality-of-care standards for cancer programs and reviews the programs to ensure they conform to those standards. Receiving care at a CoC-approved cancer program ensures that a patient will have access to:
• Comprehensive care
• A multi-specialty team approach to coordinate best treatment options
• Information about ongoing clinical trials and treatment options
• Access to cancer-related information, education, and support
• A cancer registry that collects data on type and stage of cancers and treatments
• Lifelong patient follow up
• Quality of care close to home
BCHS was the first hospital in Southwest Michigan to provide a positron emission tomography (PET) imaging system. PET is a non-invasive, diagnostic procedure that provides unique information about the function of body organs and exact locations of disease—information not available through traditional diagnostic techniques. PET provides more accurate tumor detection and staging information to aid oncologists and surgeons in defining the most appropriate treatment and management options.
The Cancer Care Center was also the first to offer intensity modulated radiation therapy
(IMRT), the world’s most advanced radiation therapy that conforms to the shape of the tumor. The system is equipped with special software for planning and delivering ultra-precise tightly focused radiation beams to cancerous tumors, significantly reducing the amount of radiation to surrounding healthy tissues. These include three dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT) and image guided radiation therapy (IGRT).
Battle Creek Health System is an active participant in the Grand Rapids Clinical Oncology Program (GRCOP), which is funded by the National Cancer Institute and a consortium of hospitals. Through clinical trials, BCHS cancer patients can participate in cutting-edge treatment research in the quest to cure cancer.
Cancer clinical trials develop better ways of detecting, treating, and eventually preventing cancer. The trials test many types of treatment such as new drugs, new approaches to surgery or radiation therapy, new combinations of treatments, or new methods such as gene therapy. By taking part in a clinical trial, participants are among the first to receive new research treatments before they are widely available.
The Cancer Care Center at BCHS is also part of the Mercy Cancer Network, a group of Trinity Health hospitals throughout Michigan that offer a full-range of cancer treatments.
Battle Creek Health System is a member of the Association of Community Cancer
Centers (ACCC). The ACCC is in the forefront of the development of clinical indicators and guidelines to evaluate and improve cancer care and patient outcomes.
“These credentials speak highly of the ongoing, comprehensive care patients receive at The Cancer Care Center at Battle Creek Health System,” says Garrett. “They also demonstrate a commitment we have to our patients that they will have access to all of the medical specialists who are involved in diagnosing and treating cancer.”
Battle Creek Health System, sponsored by two parent organizations--Trinity Health (the fourth largest Catholic health system in the U.S. with 21 hospitals, 9 nursing homes, 19 senior house facilities, 8 home health care agencies, and 4 hospices in Michigan alone) and BCHS Community Partners, is accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Battle Creek Health System as a recipient of the 2008 HealthGrades Orthopaedic Surgery Excellence Award™ and 2009 Five Star rated for joint replacement surgery and total knee replacement. HealthGrades is a leading health care information company that provides objective ‘report card’ ratings nationwide. BCHS provides excellent health care for the community and promotes wellness for the whole person with access and compassion for all. For the latest medical information, visit the BCHS web site at www.bchealth.com or call the BCHS Marketing Department at (269) 966-8132.
About The Cancer Care Center
The Cancer Care Center at Battle Creek Health System offers comprehensive, state-of-the-art services based upon the latest cancer research, sophisticated diagnostic equipment, a multi-specialty team including board certified surgeons who discuss and coordinate treatment plans, and life-long patient follow-up through cancer registry.
The Cancer Care Center recently unveiled its newly renovated facilities adding 6,000 square feet of new area and 3,000 square feet of renovation giving critically needed treatment space for cancer patients, lifesaving new technology, a more healing environment, and room to grow complementary therapies.
The expansion project makes available an American Cancer Society (ACS) resource library for patients and community members who wish to learn more about this disease. The Cancer Center also offers an ACS program called ‘Road to Recovery’ that provides transportation for patients to their lifesaving and life-sustaining treatments at the hospital.
History of Cancer Care
1947
The Cancer Detection Center of the local cancer society was created. The first in the U.S. to be operated by volunteers, the center made it possible for any resident of Calhoun County who was not already under a physician’s care, top receive a complete cancer examination for a minimal charge. Such services continue today.
1949
The first cancer registry in the nation was created here, making it possible for hospitals to record, compile, and analyze information about the types of cancer appearing in the county, the treatment given, and survival rates over a period of time. That database continues to be of enormous importance in the treatment of cancer.
1950s
Battle Creek was one of the first communities to learn about and to use the ‘PP smear,’ a technique for detecting cancer of the cervix, developed by Dr. George Papanicalaou. The ‘Pap’ smear is now a standard cancer-screening procedure nationwide.
1990s
Battle Creek Health System’s linear accelerator is among the fist in the nation located above ground, a decision made for the comfort of the patient, not the convenience of the hospital. Battle Creek took this step because it creates a friendly, airy, and bright environment that evokes positive emotions important to healing.
The Battle Creek Health System radiation oncology unit was one of only 25 beta test sites around the world to pioneer a three-dimensional imagery process that compensates for body contours and better distributes radiation. This is especially important in the treatment of breast cancer.
2000s
The Cancer Care Center at Battle Creek unveiled a new cancer treatment technique that involves computer technology that can regulate and target radiation beams that destroy cancer cells. It is called intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), and is partnered with three dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT) and image guided radiation therapy (IGRT) computer programs. They make it possible to plan and deliver ultra-precise and tightly focused radiation beams to cancerous tumors significantly reducing the amount of radiation to surrounding healthy tissues.
