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Upstate recognized for cancer care excellence by American College of Surgeons

SYRACUSE, N.Y.-- Upstate University Hospital has received the 2015 Outstanding Achievement Award by the Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). Upstate is one of a select group of only 20 U.S. health care facilities with accredited cancer programs to receive this national honor for surveys performed Jan. 1 to June 30, 2015.

Upstate is one of only three institutions nationwide to have received the award for four consecutive surveys.

The award acknowledges cancer programs that achieve excellence in providing quality care to cancer patients.

“We’re grateful to our entire cancer team, because their dedication to the treatment of our patients and care of their families is what earns us accolades like this one,” said Leslie J Kohman, M.D., medical director, of the Upstate Cancer Center. “The Commission on Cancer honor is important to us because it recognizes the quality and breadth of our cancer program, including patient education, research and clinical care.”

Upstate’s cancer program was evaluated on 34 program standards categorized within one of four cancer program activity areas: cancer committee leadership, cancer data management, clinical services, and quality improvement. The cancer program was further evaluated on seven commendation standards. To be eligible, all award recipients must have received commendation ratings in all seven standards, in addition to receiving a compliance rating for each of the 27 other standards.

“Continuing recognition from the Commission on Cancer is a reflection of our team’s dedication to constant improvement and high quality care,” said Richard Kilburg, administrator of the Upstate Cancer Center. “Our commitment to our patients drives everything that we do, and this award is an affirmation of that.”

The purpose of the award is to raise awareness on the importance of providing quality cancer care at health care institutions throughout the United States. In addition, it is intended to:

- Motivate other cancer programs to work toward improving their level of care.

- Facilitate dialogue between award recipients and health care professionals at other cancer facilities for the purpose of sharing best practices.

- Encourage honorees to serve as quality-care resources to other cancer programs.

- Educate cancer patients on available quality-care options.

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