Mercy South Cancer Center Earns Commission on Cancer Reaccreditation

The Mercy Hospital South Cancer Center has been granted a three-year reaccreditation from the Commission on Cancer (CoC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons.  

To maintain accreditation, Mercy South undergoes an extensive, voluntary on-site survey every three years and must meet or exceed 34 standards related to patient care. The standards include prevention, early diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and support services. In addition, the three-year accreditation provides the Mercy South Cancer Center access to additional services for patients including clinical trials and new treatments, genetic counseling and a survivorship plan that seeks to improve cancer survivors’ quality of life.

As a CoC-accredited cancer center, Mercy South 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.  This multidisciplinary partnership results in improved patient care.

“This reaccreditation means that our surgeons, physicians and caregivers at the Mercy South Cancer Center have set a benchmark for stringent quality standards in delivering multidisciplinary services to our patients with skill and dedication,” said Dr. Mary Graham, chairman of Mercy South’s Cancer Committee.

The CoC Accreditation Program provides the framework for Mercy South 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, lifelong follow-up for recurrent disease and end-of-life care.

 “Our cancer care team at Mercy South is committed to providing all patients with access to the full scope of services they need, from diagnoses through treatment, rehabilitation and survivorship care,” said Kim McGrath, executive director of the Mercy South Cancer Center.

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

In the U.S. and Puerto Rico, more than 1,500 CoC-accredited cancer programs diagnose and/or treat more than 70% of all newly diagnosed patients with cancer. When cancer patients choose to seek care locally at a CoC-accredited cancer center, they gain access to comprehensive, state-of-the-art cancer care close to home.

The Mercy Hospital South Cancer Center offers some of the most advanced treatments for cancer in a caring and accessible environment. Our multispecialty cancer team, led by experienced and board-certified cancer specialists, has treated more than 30,000 cancer patients. Construction is under way on the new David M. Sindelar Cancer Center, which will provide comprehensive cancer care for the diagnosis and treatment of all cancers, including high-tech diagnostic and treatment capabilities, alternative therapies, the new Rooney Breast Center and access to medical, radiation and surgical oncologists. It is scheduled to open June 1.*

*The opening has been delayed due to the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.