WellStar Network Receives Top Cancer Recognition

DALLAS, GA — WellStar Health System's Cancer Network, which includes WellStar Paulding, has been recognized for delivering world-class cancer care to patients.

Five WellStar hospitals have been granted a three-year accreditation with the Gold Commendation from the Commission on Cancer, a program of the American College of Surgeons.

This is the highest honor awarded to cancer programs and WellStar Health has received the honor twice.

Only 50 health systems in the United States have received the distinction.

The hospitals receiving gold accreditation are WellStar Cobb, WellStar Douglas, WellStar Kennestone, WellStar Paulding and WellStar Windy Hill.

To earn the accreditation, a cancer program must meet or exceed the CoC's quality care standards, be evaluated every three years through a survey process and show excellence in the delivery of patient-centered care.

Three-year accreditation is only awarded to facilities that exceed standard requirements when they are surveyed.

"This accreditation and Outstanding Achievement Award could not have been made possible without our gifted and passionate team,” said Dr. Michael Andrews, WellStar's chief cancer officer. "The Commission on Cancer and the American College of Surgeons are both well respected and distinguished institutions. This distinction is an indication of the quality of care we deliver to our patients every day."

Like all CoC-accredited facilities, WellStar’s accredited facilities maintain a cancer registry and contribute data to the National Cancer Data Base, a joint program of the CoC and American Cancer Society.

This nationwide oncology database is the largest clinical disease registry in the world. Data of all types of cancer are tracked and analyzed through the NCDB and used to explore trends in cancer care.

CoC-accredited cancer centers, in turn, have access to information derived from this type of data analysis, which is used to create national, regional, and state benchmark reports. These reports help CoC facilities with their quality improvement efforts.

Image courtesy WellStar Health System