Day Kimball Hospital Earns National Accreditation with Commendations from Commission on Cancer

Day Kimball Hospital has been granted Three-Year Accreditation with Commendation from the Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons (ACoS) for its Community Cancer Program. The CoC program recognizes cancer programs for their commitment to providing comprehensive, high-quality, and multidisciplinary patient-centered care. Day Kimball received five commendations for exceeding accreditation standards in the areas of clinical trials, cancer registrar education, public reporting of outcomes, pathology and nursing care.

The CoC is a national program dedicated to improving survival and quality of life for cancer patients through standard-setting, prevention, research, education, and the monitoring of comprehensive quality care. Through the CoC, the DKH cancer program has access to reporting tools to aid in benchmarking and improving patient outcomes as well as educational and training opportunities, development resources, and advocacy.

“We are so proud to have achieved this prestigious accreditation, which comes after rigorous surveys and evaluations,” said DKH Director of Oncology Patricia Holland-Caprera. “Our dedicated team has worked for years to build our cancer care program into what it is today so that we can provide our community with the best possible cancer care close to home,” she said.For the patient and community, the quality standards established by the CoC for cancer programs ensure:

 

• Comprehensive care, including access to a complete range of state-of-the-art services and equipment 
• A multidisciplinary team approach to coordinate the best available treatment options 
• Information about ongoing cancer clinical trials and new treatment options 
• Access to prevention and early detection programs, cancer education, and support services 
• A cancer registry that offers lifelong patient follow-up 
• Ongoing monitoring and improvements in cancer care 
• Quality care, close to home

Day Kimball Hospital’s cancer care program brings together the services and expertise of physicians, cancer specialists, certified oncology nurses, a dedicated oncology nurse navigator, social worker and nutritionist, and an extended team of other professionals to provide highly integrated and coordinated care that addresses the many challenges that cancer presents.

“It is a great day for the patients and the staff of Day Kimball,” said Dr. Mandeep Dhami, oncologist with Eastern Connecticut Hematology & Oncology (ECHO) and physician director of DKH’s Cancer Care Program.

“It was only four years ago that ECHO was approached by Day Kimball Hospital to develop a hospital based cancer program,” Dr. Dhami continued. “While some bigger centers in the state have built high priced cancer centers, we opted for a small yet effective unit where we can provide affordable, high quality cancer care to our community. Since then we have enjoyed tremendous support and collaboration from the entire group of clinicians and support staff at Day Kimball Hospital, and our program is working very well to serve the people of Northeast Connecticut.”

Day Kimball Healthcare President and CEO Robert Smanik said, “This CoC accreditation confirms what our patients always tell us – that Day Kimball Healthcare provides the best care possible. This achievement speaks to the dedication and passion of our physicians and our staff in caring for our community.” 

 

Related Resources

Integrated Care: Cancer Care