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Treating Cancer Close to Home
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| Memorial Herman The Woodlands Hospital's Community Hospital Cancer Program was recently commended by The American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer. Pictured, from left, are Dr. James Field, cancer liaison physician of the hospital's Cancer Committee; Lynn Whitehair, cancer service line administrator and Dr. Pierre Khoury, hospital Cancer Committee chair. |
By T.L. HAMILTON
Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital has been commended for its Community Hospital Cancer Program, making it the only accredited program in the county.
The American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer granted a three-year approval with commendation to the program.
The hospital earned this accomplishment through its physicians, nurses and other employees working cohesively as a team, said Dr. James Field, general surgeon and cancer liaison physician.
“It really took a hospital that was dedicated to this,” Field said, and mentioned each department from administration to nursing.
“I bring all those up separately to single each one out because this wasn’t just a couple of physicians that got together and said ‘hey lets do this,’ this was really a group effort,” he said.
Field said the commission isn’t looking at how fast cases are treated, but how they are treated.
“They’re looking to make sure that the things are in place to ensure that patients get adequate care,” he said.
Hospital CEO Steve Sanders said the accreditation means a lot to the hospital.
“(This is) a testament to the strength of our cancer program and illustrates the scope and caliber of services we provide to patients close to home,” Sanders said. “We earned this accreditation with outstanding achievement by securing all nine optional commendations – quite an accomplishment for our first survey.”
Currently, only one in four hospitals in the United States and Puerto Rico has earned commission accreditation, and it is granted only to those facilities that commit to providing the highest level of quality cancer care.
One effort that helped the hospital score well on the survey was its cancer registry system.
“With this system every cancer patient that comes through the hospital is flagged,” Field said.
“(Each physician) can look over their charts and make sure things are done appropriately from staging to follow-up care.”
The hospital’s cancer program treats all types of cancers and specializes in breast, colon, gynecological, lung, brain and prostate cancers.
It also provides state-of-the-art treatment options. Robotic-assisted surgery greatly improves recovery time for patients – particularly those with prostate cancer – because it uses smaller incisions, Field said.
The hospital’s radiation oncology program has reduced what would usually take six weeks of radiation exposure for breast cancer patients to a twice-daily week-long treatment.
“With the old way, I’d have patients choose a mastectomy over radiation,” Field said.
“I consider the six weeks to be a ball and chain. The patients are enjoying the new method quite a bit more.”
Finally, with the hospital’s clinical trials, the hospital is providing data to help solve some of the many questions about cancer and work to provide the most up-to-date treatments for their patients.
“What I think this means for us is that cancer patients who would normally travel to Houston facilities will feel more comfortable coming to an accredited program right here in the county,” Field said.
Visit www.memorialhermann.org or call (281) 364-5655.
Accreditation requirements
In order for a program to become accredited, it must provide:
• Comprehensive care, including a range of state-of-the-art services and equipment
• Multi-specialty team approach to coordinate the best treatment options
• Information about ongoing clinical trials and new treatment options
• Access to cancer-related information, education and support
• Cancer registry that collects data on type and stage of cancers and treatment results and offers lifelong patient follow-up
• Ongoing monitoring and improvement of care
• Quality care close to home
The American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer granted a three-year approval with commendation to the program.
The hospital earned this accomplishment through its physicians, nurses and other employees working cohesively as a team, said Dr. James Field, general surgeon and cancer liaison physician.
“It really took a hospital that was dedicated to this,” Field said, and mentioned each department from administration to nursing.
“I bring all those up separately to single each one out because this wasn’t just a couple of physicians that got together and said ‘hey lets do this,’ this was really a group effort,” he said.
Field said the commission isn’t looking at how fast cases are treated, but how they are treated.
“They’re looking to make sure that the things are in place to ensure that patients get adequate care,” he said.
Hospital CEO Steve Sanders said the accreditation means a lot to the hospital.
“(This is) a testament to the strength of our cancer program and illustrates the scope and caliber of services we provide to patients close to home,” Sanders said. “We earned this accreditation with outstanding achievement by securing all nine optional commendations – quite an accomplishment for our first survey.”
Currently, only one in four hospitals in the United States and Puerto Rico has earned commission accreditation, and it is granted only to those facilities that commit to providing the highest level of quality cancer care.
One effort that helped the hospital score well on the survey was its cancer registry system.
“With this system every cancer patient that comes through the hospital is flagged,” Field said.
“(Each physician) can look over their charts and make sure things are done appropriately from staging to follow-up care.”
The hospital’s cancer program treats all types of cancers and specializes in breast, colon, gynecological, lung, brain and prostate cancers.
It also provides state-of-the-art treatment options. Robotic-assisted surgery greatly improves recovery time for patients – particularly those with prostate cancer – because it uses smaller incisions, Field said.
The hospital’s radiation oncology program has reduced what would usually take six weeks of radiation exposure for breast cancer patients to a twice-daily week-long treatment.
“With the old way, I’d have patients choose a mastectomy over radiation,” Field said.
“I consider the six weeks to be a ball and chain. The patients are enjoying the new method quite a bit more.”
Finally, with the hospital’s clinical trials, the hospital is providing data to help solve some of the many questions about cancer and work to provide the most up-to-date treatments for their patients.
“What I think this means for us is that cancer patients who would normally travel to Houston facilities will feel more comfortable coming to an accredited program right here in the county,” Field said.
Visit www.memorialhermann.org or call (281) 364-5655.
Accreditation requirements
In order for a program to become accredited, it must provide:
• Comprehensive care, including a range of state-of-the-art services and equipment
• Multi-specialty team approach to coordinate the best treatment options
• Information about ongoing clinical trials and new treatment options
• Access to cancer-related information, education and support
• Cancer registry that collects data on type and stage of cancers and treatment results and offers lifelong patient follow-up
• Ongoing monitoring and improvement of care
• Quality care close to home
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