Franciscan St. Margaret Health-Dyer Receives Prestigious Breast Center Accreditation

dyer-hospitaFranciscan St. Margaret Health-Dyer recently received a three-year, full accreditation designation from the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers, which is administered by the American College of Surgeons.

Accreditation only is given centers that have voluntarily committed to provide the highest level of quality breast care and that undergo a rigorous evaluation process and review of their performance, according to program requirements.

During the survey process, a center must demonstrate compliance with standards established by the accreditation program for treating women who are diagnosed with the full spectrum of breast disease. Standards include proficiency in the areas of center leadership, clinical management, research, community outreach, professional education, and quality improvement.

A breast center that achieves the accreditation has demonstrated a firm commitment to offer its patients every significant advantage in their battle against breast disease.

“We are very proud of our entire breast cancer team at Franciscan St. Margaret Health,” said Burt Piper, hospital vice president of ancillary services, adding, “This effort took six months of planning and preparation and has now come to fruition. This accreditation demonstrates our commitment to the highest level of breast cancer care utilizing a multidisciplinary approach from screening to diagnosis and subsequent treatment. We are one of 18 hospitals in Indiana to receive the accreditation. “

Added Cindy Duran, hospital oncology director, “This exclusive accreditation demonstrates our commitment to provide the best care and treatment options available. We also are pleased that the surveyor recommended the reporting format we used for one of the 28 standards as a Best Practice that will be included in NAPBC Best Practice Repository. The repository will provide examples of documents and other tools that breast centers may find useful in meeting NAPBC standards.”

That agency is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to the improvement of the quality of care and monitoring of outcomes of patients with diseases of the breast. The effort is pursued through standard-setting, scientific validation, and patient and professional education. Its board membership includes professionals from 20 national organizations that reflect the full spectrum of breast care.

Program standards say that receiving care at an accredited center ensures that a patient will have access to:
* Comprehensive care, including a full range of state-of-the-art services.
* A multidisciplinary team approach to coordinate the best treatment options.
* Information about ongoing clinical trials and new treatment options.
* Quality breast care close to home.

For more information about the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers, visit: www.accreditedbreastcenters.org.