The University Cancer Center was recently accredited by the Commission on Cancer for the exceptional care it provides to its patients in addition to the support it gives to the friends and families of those patients.
The center offers lifelong follow-up appointments for patients, various counseling opportunities and a team approach to make sure patients are given the best care possible. Reid Adams, chief of Surgical Oncology at the University Health System, said the center not only ensures that the commission’s standards are met, but strives to exceed them.
“At U.Va., we are continuously striving to improve the quality of our care to deliver the safest, most effective care possible by developing our own internal standards,” Adams said in an email. “By focusing on these elements, we hope to improve each patient’s health by providing compassionate, cutting edge care during a very difficult time in [his or her life].”
Adams said the accreditation has also allowed the center to undertake new plans to improve patient conditions.
“The Cancer Center … has a comprehensive plan that focuses on improved patient outcomes through new U.Va. research discoveries to treat cancer and clinical trials of novel therapies,” Adams said. “Outcomes also will be improved by programs to insure better access to the treatment teams and advanced technology.”
In addition to providing care for patients in the hospital, the center also provides care for patients who have returned home, even those who have been deemed cancer-free.
“A major emphasis of the Cancer Center … is the survivorship program that is aimed at comprehensive followups for all of our patients,” center Director Dr. Thomas Loughran said.
Adams said the programs at the University are unique in that they provide support in all aspects of a patient’s life.
“Developed through the Cancer Center … is a supportive care program that will provide, in addition to the cancer focused medical treatment, a broad system to provide emotional, social, spiritual, physical, nutritional and other types of support that cancer patients require to remain as healthy as possible through the treatment and recovery process,” he said. “Conceptually, this care will help the patient transition back to ‘wellness’ and reintegration into a normal life.”
Adams said the University Cancer Center has also been recognized by other major cancer-related organizations, including the National Cancer Institute.
“U.Va. is a National Cancer Institute Designated Cancer Center, one of only two in the Commonwealth of Virginia and one of only [68] such programs throughout the U.S.,” Adams said. “This is a highly distinguished honor, recognizing excellence in cancer related basic and clinical research. U.Va has had this designation for more than 20 years.”
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