Mitchell Memorial Cancer Center Earns National Re-Accreditation from the Commission on Cancer

The Commission on Cancer (CoC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons, has granted another Three-Year Accreditation to the cancer program at Owensboro Health Mitchell Memorial Cancer Center. To earn voluntary CoC accreditation, a cancer program must meet 34 CoC quality-care standards, be evaluated every three years through a survey process, and maintain excellence in delivering comprehensive patient-centered care. 

As a CoC-accredited cancer center, the Mitchell Memorial Cancer Center takes a multidisciplinary approach to treating cancer as a complex disease group requiring consultation among surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, diagnostic radiologists, pathologists and other cancer specialists. This multidisciplinary partnership results in improved patient care. 

"This accreditation would not have happened without the teamwork of all the compassionate and resilient team members at the Mitchell Memorial Cancer Center," said Tim Laugh, Owensboro Health Director of Cancer Services. "It is truly a blessing and honor to be a part of a team that is focused on our patients."

The CoC Accreditation Program sets the standards for Mitchell Memorial Cancer Center's cancer-care programs — 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 MMCC, they also have access to genetic counseling, support groups, a patient navigation process and a survivorship care plan that documents each patient's care to improve cancer survivors' quality of life.  

At the Mitchell Memorial Cancer Center, these services are housed together in one location for the comfort and ease of patients. A relationship with the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center helps bring the latest treatments to patients close to home. Because the MMCC research program has made a significant commitment to clinical trials, patients have a higher chance of enrolling in a clinical trial and being part of tomorrow's treatments today. 

Like all CoC-accredited facilities, the Mitchell Memorial Cancer Center 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.    

"The community should feel comforted knowing the Mitchell Memorial Cancer Center just achieved this prestigious accreditation without a single recommendation for improvement," Laugh said. 

The Mitchell Memorial Cancer Center is triple accredited. In addition to this Commission on Cancer accreditation, it also earned the American College of Radiology accreditation (ACR) renewal for Radiation Oncology and holds an accreditation for Breast Program Excellence with the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC).  

About CoC

Established in 1922 by the American College of Surgeons, the CoC is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to improving patient outcomes and quality of life for cancer patients through standard-setting, prevention, research, education, and the monitoring of comprehensive, quality care. Its membership includes Fellows of the American College of Surgeons. For more information, visit facs.org/cancer.