The Regional One Health Cancer Care program marked a major achievement and milestone by earning accreditation as an Academic Comprehensive Cancer Program from the Commission on Cancer (CoC). The CoC is a national organization created to recognize oncology programs that meet the highest standards of patient care.

Leslie Stroud, oncology program accreditation manager, and Martin Fleming, MD, surgical oncologist with Regional One Health Cancer Care and University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) Surgical Oncology Division Chief, led the initiative.

“Accreditation is very important for our cancer program,” said Dr. Fleming. “It demonstrates excellence in cancer care and shows that we offer state-of-the-art, multidisciplinary care for our patients. It puts us on the map nationally as a place that’s doing it right.”

Stroud and Dr. Fleming convened a Cancer Care Committee to meet quarterly to oversee progress on achieving accreditation standards. The committee includes surgical and medical oncologists, pathologists, radiologists, nursing leaders, nurse practitioners, social workers, patient navigators, pharmacists and others.

In order to receive designation as an Academic Comprehensive Cancer program designation, a hospital‘s cancer care program must work with a medical university and train residents and fellows as part of the cancer team. Regional One Health Cancer meets this standard through its partnership with UTHSC.

The accreditation process has helped Regional One Health build a premier oncology service, and Stroud and Dr. Fleming said accreditation will lead to additional improvements in patient care.

“Accreditation means you’re going to a facility that offers state-of-the-art care,” Dr. Fleming said. “You’ll have physicians who understand and implement multidisciplinary care and can take care of you from the time you’re diagnosed until your follow-up appointments years later.”