Cancer Center at Griffin wins special accreditation

DERBY - The Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons recently granted Three-Year Accreditation with Commendation to The Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital.

The CoC accreditation is only given to facilities that have voluntarily committed to providing the highest level of quality cancer care and that undergo a rigorous evaluation process and review of their performance every three years.
This is the second consecutive CoC accreditation for the Center for Cancer Care.

The designation from the American College of Surgeons group was awarded following an on-site evaluation by a physician surveyor which stated that The Center demonstrated a Commendation level of compliance in all eight eligible standards set by the commission (institutional and programmatic resources, cancer committee leadership, cancer data management, clinical services, research, community outreach, and quality improvement).

“We remain steadfast in our focus to provide patients with exceptional oncology services,” said Griffin President and CEO Patrick Charmel. “From our technology and physician expertise to the comprehensive support services we offer in our award winning healing environment, our community can trust that we provide outstanding cancer care that is responsive to the unique needs of patients with cancer.”

The Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital, 350 Seymour Ave., offers a comprehensive range of sophisticated cancer treatments provided by Smilow Cancer Center physician specialists in medical and radiation oncology.
This includes the newest drug protocols and chemotherapy regimens and intensity-modulated and image-guided radiation therapy. The Center also provides complementary therapies, support groups, and the services of patient navigators to guide patients through the complexities of cancer care.

The CoC designation report highlighted Griffin’s performance related to quality criteria and outcomes, as well as prevention and early detection efforts.

The accreditation 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 Commission on Cancer-accredited facility ensures that a patient has access to comprehensive care, including a range of state-of-the art services and equipment, a multi-specialty team approach, information about ongoing clinical trials and new treatment options, access to cancer-related information, education and support, a cancer registry that collects data on type, stage, treatment results and offers lifelong patient follow-up and quality of care close to home.

About the Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital

Opened in October, 2008, Griffin Hospital's Center for Cancer Care provides care that's  comprehensive, comforting, and close to home.
The Center provides access to Radiation Oncology, Medical Oncology, Surgical Oncology, and a range of affiliated physicians under the same roof in a Planetree-inspired healing environment. Support services include a Patient Care Navigator, dietary/nutritional consultations, genetic counseling, social work services, pastoral care, education and support groups, and a variety of non-traditional therapies offered through the Integrative Medicine Center.

For information, visit www.griffincancercenter.org or call 203-732-1260.

 For more information about the CoC, visit www.facs.org/cancer.

This information is taken from a press release from Griffin Hospital. 

Griffin Hospital wins MRI accreditation

DERBY - Griffin Hospital, 130 Division St., has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after a recent review by the American College of Radiology. 

The ACR gold seal of accreditation represents the highest level of image quality and patient safety. It is awarded only to facilities meeting ACR Practice Guidelines and Technical Standards after a peer-review evaluation by board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field.

“This award demonstrates our commitment to giving our patients the best in imaging quality so they can receive the most accurate diagnosis,” said Christine Cooper, MS, CNMT, director of Radiology/Cardiology.“In addition, this accreditation is a reflection of our hard-working staff and their dedication to providing high-quality care.”

MRI is a noninvasive medical test that utilizes magnetic fields to produce anatomical images of internal body parts to help physicians diagnose and treat medical conditions.

In awarding accreditation, ACR’s experts assessed Griffin Hospital’s image quality, personnel qualifications, adequacy of facility equipment, quality control procedures, and quality assurance programs.

The findings were reported to the ACR Committee on Accreditation, which subsequently provided the hospital with a comprehensive report it can use for continuous practice improvement.

The ACR is a national professional organization serving more than 34,000 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.

The above release was provided by Christian Meagher, Griffin Hospital communications department.