As colorectal cancer rates across the country continue to rise, especially in people 50-years-old and under, Mary Bird Perkins – Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center is enhancing its ability to provide a higher standard of care for those throughout the Gulf South diagnosed with this disease. The Cancer Center has announced that it has earned a three-year accreditation from the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer.
“A team approach is the most effective way to diagnose and treat rectal cancer,” said Kelly Finan, MD, a colorectal cancer surgeon with Our Lady of the Lake Physician Group and chair of the rectal multidisciplinary team at Mary Bird Perkins – Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center. “Through this NAPRC accreditation process, as a specialized team of doctors, we have made the commitment to review each and every patient before treatment begins to make sure we are providing the most comprehensive, effective care plan. It really allows us to offer the most individualized treatments and advances our rectal cancer treatment practices and protocols at every level.”
Linda Lee, vice president of the Cancer Center, said that in order to achieve NAPRC accreditation, the multidisciplinary team must include surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, pathologists, radiologists, and other specialists. Genetic counseling is also a part of the process, especially if a patient has a family history of colorectal cancer.
“Being one of only 15 cancer centers in the country to date to have received this recognition shows the level of dedication and talent that exists within the organization,” said Lee. “It’s a powerful resource when you have brilliant cancer minds representing a plethora of specialties reviewing every aspect of a patient’s care; it truly sets the standard for a higher level of clinical expertise, which translates to better chances for a cure. As the only cancer center in Baton Rouge and Louisiana to achieve this accreditation, we are truly excited to be able to offer this exemplary care close to home.”
To achieve NAPRC accreditation, a rectal cancer center demonstrates compliance with the NAPRC standards that emphasize program management, clinical services, and quality improvement. Rectal centers seeking accreditation must be accredited by the Commission on Cancer and undergo a site visit every three years.
The U.S. News and World Report in 2019 ranked the Cancer Center’s colorectal surgery program as a high-performing site, based on a number of key quality indicators.