Radiation Oncology Accreditation
The RMH Hahn Cancer Center 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).
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.
“We are pleased to receive this accreditation because it acknowledges
our passion for, and commitment to, safety and quality care for our
patients,” said Janet Macarther, director of Oncology and Hospice
Services.
The ACR is the nation’s oldest and most widely accepted radiation
oncology accrediting body, with nearly 500 accredited sites, and 25
years of accreditation experience. The ACR seal of accreditation
represents the highest level of quality and patient safety. It is
awarded only to facilities meeting specific practice guidelines and
technical standards developed by ACR after a peer-review evaluation by
board-certified radiation oncologists and medical physicists who are
experts in the field.
The peer-review evaluation assesses the following:
- Patient care and treatment
- Patient safety
- Personnel qualifications
- Adequacy of facility equipment
- Quality control procedures, and
- Quality assurance programs.
The findings are reported to the ACR Committee on Radiation Oncology
Accreditation, which subsequently provides the practice with a
comprehensive report it can use for continuous practice improvement.
The
RMH Hahn Cancer Center is
one of only 11 facilities in Virginia, and the only one in the
Shenandoah Valley, to have earned ACR accreditation in radiation
oncology.
“This accreditation simply recognizes and confirms the fact that we are doing a good job for our patients,” said
radiation oncologist Robert Kyler. M.D. “Providing safe, high-quality radiation therapy is our utmost concern.”
The 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.
For more information, go to
www.acr.org/Quality-Safety/Accreditation/Accredited-Facility-Search.