December 14, 2023 – Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) has earned accreditation from the Commission on Cancer (CoC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) for the ARH cancer programs located at Harlan, Hazard, Highlands, Middlesboro, and Tug Valley. To achieve CoC accreditation, ARH underwent a site visit to confirm the program’s compliance with accreditation standards that evaluate cancer care services offered by the program.

As a CoC-accredited cancer center, ARH applies a multidisciplinary approach and treats cancer as a complex group of diseases that requires consultation among surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, diagnostic radiologists, pathologists, and other health care professionals that specialize in caring for the cancer patient. Cancer patients benefit from having access to clinical trials, screening and prevention events, palliative care, genetic counseling, rehabilitation, oncology nutrition, and survivorship services.

ARH maintains a cancer registry and contributes data to the National Cancer Database (NCDB), a joint initiative of the CoC and the American Cancer Society.

The NCDB is a clinical oncology database sourced from hospital registry data collected from CoC-accredited facilities. These data are used to analyze and track patients with malignant neoplastic diseases, their treatments, and their outcomes. Online reporting tools provide the program with comparative benchmarks for similar programs. In addition, the program has access to reporting tools for quality improvement, quality assurance, and surveillance.

“ARH is committed to serving the people of Appalachia and assisting patients through every stage of their cancer journey. With an exceptional team of providers, nurses, and staff who specialize in oncology and radiation care, ARH is leading the way for cancer care in the region,” says Hollie Phillips, ARH President and CEO. “The cancer center programs are vital to our region and people of Appalachia and ARH continues to work hard to provide the care that is needed and deserved. This national accreditation is just proof of the hard work that is being done.”

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 through standard-setting, prevention, research, education, and the monitoring of comprehensive, quality care. Its membership includes Fellows of the American College of Surgeons. For more information, visit: www.facs.org/cancer