Care Focused on Patients, Not Just Their Cancers, Leads to National Recognition

NEW YORK, June 19, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care has earned one of the highest honors for a cancer center:  a Three-Year Accreditation with Gold Level Commendation from the Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons. This designation is one of the most respected nationwide for cancer care. It is a reflection of not only outstanding clinical care and outcomes, but also unparalleled social and emotional support for patients struggling through a cancer diagnosis.    

"Our focus is the patient and their support system, not just the cancer," said Shalom Kalnicki, M.D., professor and chair, Department of Radiation Oncology, Montefiore Einstein, and chair of the Cancer Committee. "Working with the National Cancer Institute-designated Albert Einstein Cancer Center ? and supported by Montefiore Einstein leadership, we have more research underway than ever before to identify and address all aspects of the disease, including barriers that prevent people from making a full return to being  productive members of society."

To earn voluntary CoC accreditation, a cancer program must meet or exceed 34 CoC quality care standards, be evaluated every three years, and maintain levels of excellence in the quality of patient care, including prevention, education, research and  survivorship. Surveyors singled out Montefiore for its excellent breast cancer and bone marrow transplant research. Montefiore was also celebrated for its wide-ranging programs addressing  stress, and  education efforts tied to collecting and sharing community data.

"The high marks from the CoC exemplify how we advocate for the very best care for everyone," said Linda Fisher, director, Cancer Registry Services. "I couldn't be prouder of our team, and that includes our patients and their loved ones. They are on the front lines fighting cancer and all the side effects and stress that comes with it. Their bravery inspires us every day to provide the absolute best care we can." 

Montefiore, now joins an exclusive group of centers with Three-Year Accreditation and Commendation status, and also just earned the CoC's "Outstanding Achievement Award" for quality care. Only six percent of CoC designated programs surveyed in 2017, earned the outstanding achievement award.

Established in 1922 by the American College of Surgeons, the CoC is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to improving patient outcomes and quality of life for cancer patients. This is achieved  through standard-setting, prevention, research, education, and  monitoring  of comprehensive, quality care. For more information, visit: www.facs.org/cancer. 

For more information on Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care, visit http://www.montefiore.org/cancer or call 718-862-8840.

About Montefiore Health System
Montefiore Health System is one of New York's premier academic health systems and is a recognized leader in providing exceptional quality and personalized, accountable care to approximately three million people in communities across the Bronx, Westchester and the Hudson Valley. It is comprised of 11 hospitals, including the Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Burke Rehabilitation Hospital and close to 200 outpatient care sites. The advanced clinical and translational research at its medical school, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, directly informs patient care and improves outcomes. From the Montefiore-Einstein Centers of Excellence in cancer, cardiology and vascular care, pediatrics, and transplantation, to its preeminent school-based health program, Montefiore is a fully integrated healthcare delivery system providing coordinated, comprehensive care to patients and their families. For more information please visit www.montefiore.org. Follow us on Twitter and view us on Facebook and YouTube

About Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Albert Einstein College of Medicine, part of Montefiore, is one of the nation's premier centers for research, medical education and clinical investigation. During the 2017-2018 academic year, Einstein is home to 697 M.D. students, 181 Ph.D. students, 108 students in the combined M.D./Ph.D. program, and 265 postdoctoral research fellows. The College of Medicine has more than 1,900 full-time faculty members located on the main campus and at its clinical affiliates. In 2017, Einstein received more than $174 million in awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This includes the funding of major research centers at Einstein in aging, intellectual development disorders, diabetes, cancer, clinical and translational research, liver disease, and AIDS. Other areas where the College of Medicine is concentrating its efforts include developmental brain research, neuroscience, cardiac disease, and initiatives to reduce and eliminate ethnic and racial health disparities. Its partnership with Montefiore, the University Hospital and academic medical center for Einstein, advances clinical and translational research to accelerate the pace at which new discoveries become the treatments and therapies that benefit patients. Einstein runs one of the largest residency and fellowship training programs in the medical and dental professions in the United States through Montefiore and an affiliation network involving hospitals and medical centers in the Bronx, Brooklyn and on Long Island. For more information, please visit www.einstein.yu.edu, read our blog, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and view us on YouTube.

SOURCE Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care