SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb., - The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons (ACoS) has granted the Cancer Treatment Center a three-year accreditation to the cancer treatment program at Regional West.

To earn voluntary CoC accreditation, a cancer treatment program must meet or exceed 34 CoC 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 is only awarded to a facility that exceeds standard requirements at the time of its triennial survey.

“The Cancer Treatment Center at Regional West is fortunate to again achieve this level of excellence through our providers and all the staff that support the cancer patients throughout the region,” said Michael Yung, MD, Chairman of the Regional West Cancer committee. During a cancer diagnosis and treatment, it is important to be able to keep as much “normal” as possible. Our cancer treatment center makes this possible by providing exemplary care close to home.”

The CoC Accreditation Program provides the framework for The Cancer Treatment Center at Regional West to improve its quality of patient care through various cancer-related programs that focus on the full spectrum of cancer care, including prevention, early diagnosis, cancer staging, optimal treatment, rehabilitation, life-long 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.

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.

Regional West Health Services in Scottsbluff, Neb., is the parent company of Regional West Medical Center, a 188-bed regional referral center and the only Level II Trauma Center in Nebraska west of Kearney. As the region’s only tertiary referral medical center, Regional West offers care that spans more than 32 medical specialties provided by over 28 physician clinics. With nearly 300 in-network providers and approximately 2,000 staff members, Regional West provides comprehensive and innovative healthcare services for the people of western Nebraska and the neighboring states of Colorado, South Dakota, and Wyoming.