Lake Saint Louis Cancer Care Center Earns Accreditation

at St. Joseph Health Center and has again earned a three-year accreditation from the Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons. The accreditation recognizes the program's cancer programs in cancer committee leadership, cancer data management, clinical services, community outreach and quality improvement.

SSM Cancer Care is the only cancer program in St. Charles County to receive this accreditation, which it has held since 1991, said Aaron Robinson, director of Strategy and Budget Development for SSM Cancer Care Network.

SSM Cancer Care at St. Joseph Hospital West is also now the only network approved program in the St. Louis Metro area, Robinson said. 

The concept of serving cancer patients within a network is similar to the strategy employed by SSM as an overall hospital network, Robinson said. Utilizing all staff, financial resources and levels of subspecialty “allows us to leverage the resources of two facilities as opposed to one. Through connectivity of a network program we are able to establish physician relationships that might not happen otherwise which in the final analysis leads to better care for patients,” he said.

For example, the SSM Cancer Care site, located in the Koenig Building on the SSM St. Joseph Hospital West campus, has developed a strong research program partnering with St. Louis University to leverage their research infrastructure. So rather than have patients travel to St. Louis, they are able to take advantage of the studies and research the famed university hospital offers, right in Lake Saint Louis. 

Robinson said the cancer care program at Lake Saint Louis has grown in prominence since moving West. SSM formerly partnered with Missouri Cancer Care, which was located on Wentzville Parkway in Wentzville, MO. SSM has since acquired the practice and January 1, 2011 brought Missouri Cancer Care as SSM Cancer Care to the St. Joseph Hospital West campus.

“It is a fully integrated model,” Robinson said. “We are functioning as an individual group of oncologists.”

The CoC’s accreditation process is a lengthy and thorough one, Robinson said, which validates the health system’s dedication to cancer care. “It was instituted to elevate the standards of cancer programs across the country,” he said. “It is rigorous and resource-intensive and includes community outreach and serving underserved populations. Patients make decisions based on reputation for accessible care. People should think about what it takes to get accredited. It requires a lot of investment. It demonstrates our commitment to this community.”    

Established in 1922, the American College of Surgeons is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to improving survival rates and quality of life for cancer patients. Robinson said the accreditation program sets, reviews and ensures conformity to quality-of-care standards for cancer programs across America. The accreditation by the CoC is given only to those facilities that have voluntarily committed to providing the highest level of quality cancer care and undergone the evaluation process along with an onsite review every three years.

The CoC-accredited cancer program designation ensures that a patient will have access to:

• comprehensive care, including a range of state-of-the-art services and equipment
• a multi-specialty team approach to coordinate the best treatment options
• information about ongoing clinical trials and new treatment options;
• cancer-related information, education and support
• a cancer registry that collects data on types and stages of cancers and treatment results, offering lifelong patient follow-up
• ongoing monitoring and improvement of patient care