News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 30, 2013
MEDIA CONTACT: Stephanie Poyant
Public Information Officer
Southcoast Health System
Office: 508-973-5280
Cell: 774-634-1460
poyants@southcoast.org
www.southcoast.org/news/releases/
Southcoast Centers for Cancer Care earns national seal of accreditation
from the American College of Radiology
Seal of accreditation represents the highest level of quality and patient safety
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — Southcoast™ Centers for Cancer Care, part of Southcoast
Health System, has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation in radiation oncology as the
result of a recent review by the American College of Radiology (ACR). The ACR seal of
accreditation represents the highest level of quality and patient safety.
“The ACR’s accreditation procedures are voluntary," said Eileen Sugrue-McElearney,
Vice President of Clinical Services for Oncology at Southcoast Centers for Cancer Care. "The
Southcoast Centers for Cancer Care has sought ACR accreditation because this organization
assists facilities around the country in achieving excellence by promoting a level of professional
and technical expertise that contributes to quality performance and patient safety."
Radiation oncology (radiation therapy) is the careful use of high-energy radiation to treat
cancer. A radiation oncologist may use radiation to cure cancer or to relieve a cancer patient’s
pain.
The ACR seal of accreditation is awarded only to facilities meeting specific Practice
Guidelines and Technical Standards developed by ACR after a peer-review evaluation by boardcertified radiation oncologists and medical physicists who are experts in the field. Patient care
and treatment, patient safety, personnel qualifications, adequacy of facility equipment, quality
control procedures, and quality assurance programs are assessed. The findings are reported to the
ACR Committee on Radiation Oncology Accreditation, which subsequently provides the practice
with a comprehensive report they can use for continuous practice improvement.
The ACR is the nation’s oldest and most widely accepted radiation oncology accrediting
body, with more than 500 accredited sites, and 25 years of accreditation experience.
About the American College of Radiology
The American College of Radiology (ACR) is a national professional organization
serving more than 36,000 diagnostic/interventional radiologists, radiation oncologists, nuclear
medicine physicians, and medical physicists with programs focusing on the practice of medical
imaging and radiation oncology and the delivery of comprehensive health care services.
About Southcoast Centers for Cancer Care
Southcoast Centers for Cancer Care located in Fall River and Fairhaven feature the latest
technology in radiation therapy and medical oncology. Highlights of the state of the art facilities
include the very latest technology in radiation therapy and medical oncology, advanced
diagnostic imaging, fully electronic health records, and spacious semi-private infusion bays.
Radiation Oncology services include intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT),
stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) as well as High Dose
Rate Brachytherapy (HDR) for Skin and Breast Cancer.
The Southcoast Centers for Cancer Care offer patients a seamless continuum of care
throughout Southcoast Health System — a program that supports not only patients’ medical
needs, but also their emotional and social needs. The care delivered at the centers is
complimented by an outstanding cancer team, which includes dedicated medical and radiation
oncologists; radiation oncology physicists, medical dosimetrists, and therapists; oncology nurse
practitioners and chemotherapy certified nurses; patient navigators; social workers and
nutritionists.
Southcoast Hospitals Group has been recognized by the Quality Oncology Practice
Initiative (QOPI®) Certification Program, an affiliate of the American Society of Clinical
Oncology (ASCO), for its system-wide oncology program. The QOPI® Certification Program
provides a three-year certification for outpatient hematology-oncology practices that meet the
highest standards for quality cancer care. Southcoast Hospitals Group has also been awarded the
highly regarded Approval with Commendation from the Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the
American College of Surgeons (ACoS) for its system-wide oncology program. The three-year
Approval with Commendation, the highest rating awarded by the Commission on Cancer, is
given only to those facilities that have voluntarily committed to providing the highest level of
quality cancer care and that undergo a rigorous evaluation process and review of performance.
Southcoast Centers for Cancer Care has formed an exclusive regional affiliation with MD
Anderson Physicians Network®. MD Anderson Physicians Network is a subsidiary of The
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, one of the world’s most respected leaders in
cancer care and ranked No. 1 in the nation, by U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Cancer
Hospitals” survey. Combining the region’s top cancer provider with the expertise of the nation’s
leader in cancer care, Southcoast Centers for Cancer Care offers new hope and state-of-the-art
care for cancer patients in the South Coast region.
For more information on Southcoast’s cancer services visit
www.southcoast.org/cancercare/.
About Southcoast Health System & Southcoast Hospitals Group
Southcoast Health System is a community based health delivery system with multiple
access points, offering an integrated continuum of health services throughout Southeastern
Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It includes the three hospitals that make up Southcoast
Hospitals Group — Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, St. Luke’s Hospital in New
Bedford and Tobey Hospital in Wareham.
Southcoast provides advanced clinical services, such as open heart surgery, angioplasty
and heart rhythm services, comprehensive cancer care, neurosurgery, weight loss surgery,
orthopedic surgery, advanced imaging services and is the only provider of maternity services in
the region. Southcoast is a not-for-profit charitable organization that depends on the support of
the community to provide services. More information is available online at
www.southcoast.org. Connect to Southcoast through social media
at www.southcoast.org/connect/.
Southcoast™ is a trademark of Southcoast Health System Inc.
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