The University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center Receives Three-Year Reaccreditation from the Commission on Cancer

Newswise — The University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center has successfully received reaccreditation from the Commission on Cancer (CoC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons.  

The ACS CoC is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to improving survival and quality of life for patients with cancer by setting and raising standards.  

CoC accreditation is granted to institutions committed to providing high-quality cancer care by demonstrating compliance with the CoC standards. Each cancer program must undergo a rigorous evaluation and review of its performance and compliance with the CoC standards. To maintain accreditation, cancer programs must undergo a site visit every three years. The UNM Cancer Center’s accreditation was renewed after such a site visit recently.  

The CoC accreditation standards supply the structure for providing all patients with a full range of diagnostic, treatment, and supportive services either on-site or by referral, including community-based resources. 

“Earning this reaccreditation is an endorsement of the hard work and commitment of our doctors, nurses and support staff throughout the UNM Cancer Center. There were no findings noted in this survey," said UNM Cancer Committee Chair Dr. Bernard Tawfik and program manager Sandy Schafer.   

“It is a reflection of the highest standards of cancer care we provide to all New Mexicans” said UNM Cancer Center Director and CEO Yolanda Sanchez, PhD.  

As a CoC-accredited institution, UNM Cancer Center is also an ACS Surgical Quality Partner. Being a Surgical Quality Partner signifies an institution’s dedication to consistently improving procedures and approaches, while maintaining a critical eye on process at every step. The Surgical Quality Partner designation lets patients know UNM Cancer Center is dedicated to quality and relentless self-improvement and has been verified or accredited by the ACS. Patients can trust that the care they receive at Surgical Quality Partner hospitals adheres to the most rigorous standards in surgical quality. 

"ACS Quality programs are grounded in more than a century of experience and participation is an important measure of a hospital’s surgical quality. As an ACS Surgical Quality Partner, UNM Cancer Center has shown a commitment providing the best possible patient care, evaluating that care in a rigorous fashion, and dedicating themselves to continuous self-improvement," said ACS Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, FACS. 

Learn more about the CoC Accreditation Program. 

The University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center is the Official Cancer Center of New Mexico and the only National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center in a 500-mile radius. Its more than 136 board-certified oncology specialty physicians include cancer surgeons in every specialty (abdominal, thoracic, bone and soft tissue, neurosurgery, genitourinary, gynecology, and head and neck cancers), adult and pediatric hematologists/medical oncologists, gynecologic oncologists, and radiation oncologists. They, along with more than 600 other cancer healthcare professionals (nurses, pharmacists, nutritionists, navigators, psychologists and social workers), provide treatment to 65% of New Mexico’s cancer patients from all across the state and partner with community health systems statewide to provide cancer care closer to home. They treated almost 15,000 patients in more than 100,000 ambulatory clinic visits in addition to in-patient hospitalizations at UNM Hospital. A total of nearly 1,855 patients participated in cancer clinical trials testing new cancer treatments that include tests of novel cancer prevention strategies and cancer genome sequencing. The more than 123 cancer research scientists affiliated with the UNMCCC were awarded $38.2 million in federal and private grants and contracts for cancer research projects. Since 2015, they have published nearly 1000 manuscripts, and promoting economic development, they filed 136 new patents and launched 10 new biotechnology start-up companies. Finally, the physicians, scientists and staff have provided education and training experiences to more than 500 high school, undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral fellowship students in cancer research and cancer health care delivery. 

The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and improve the quality of care for all surgical patients. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has more than 88,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world. “FACS” designates that a surgeon is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.