The Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons (ACOS) has granted a three-year reaccreditation with Commendation to the cancer program at the Lahey Center for Oncology and Hematology at Parkland Medical Center.

To earn voluntary CoC accreditation, a cancer program must meet or exceed 34 quality care standards, be evaluated every three years through a survey process, and maintain levels of excellence in the delivery of comprehensive patient-centered care. Three-Year Accreditation with Commendation is only awarded to a facility that exceeds standard requirements at the time of its triennial survey. Parkland received the highest commendation ratings for all seven commendation level standards as part of the survey.

"Parkland is dedicated to offering our patients the very best care through the Lahey Center for Oncology and Hematology, and this designation verifies our commitment to providing high-quality, patient-centered care, right here in Southern New Hampshire," said Jeff Scionti, CEO of Parkland Medical Center. "Our cancer care program exceeds what is considered standard for a community hospital and offers our patients exceptional care close to home without having to leave the community."

The CoC accreditation program provides the framework for the Lahey Center for Oncology and Hematology at Parkland Medical Center to continually improve and validate its quality of patient care through cancer-related programs that focus on prevention, early diagnosis, cancer staging, optimal treatment, rehabilitation, lifelong follow-up for recurrent disease, and end-of-life care.

When patients receive care at a CoC facility, they also have access to information on clinical trials and new treatments, genetic counseling, and patient centered services including psycho-social support, a patient navigation process, and a survivorship care plan that documents the care each patient receives and seeks to improve cancer survivors’ quality of life.

Like all CoC-accredited facilities, Parkland Medical Center maintains a cancer registry and contributes data to the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB), a joint program of the CoC and American Cancer Society (ACS). This nationwide oncology outcomes database is the largest clinical disease registry in the world. CoC-accredited cancer centers 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. For more information about the CoC, visit American College Of Surgeons - Commission on Cancer.