Anna Jaques Cancer Center Earns National Accreditation

Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons Awards Three-Year Designation to Community Cancer Program

Newburyport, Mass. — The Commission on Cancer, a quality program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS), has granted a three-year accreditation to the cancer program at Anna Jaques Cancer Center affiliated with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC). To earn Commission on Cancer accreditation, a cancer program must maintain levels of excellence in the delivery of comprehensive patient-centered care, meet 34 Commission on Cancer quality care standards, and be evaluated every three years through a survey process.

Since 2015, Anna Jaques Cancer Center affiliated with BIDMC has offered a full spectrum of community-based diagnostic and treatment services in Newburyport, with access to advanced treatment options and specialists at BIDMC when needed. The center takes a multidisciplinary approach to treating all types of cancer, with a collaborative team of specialists working together to diagnose and direct a personalized treatment plan, resulting in leading-edge patient care for the community.

“Achieving accreditation from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer confirms our incredible team’s high degree of training, skill, compassion and dedication to providing quality cancer care in Newburyport,” said Jonathan Eneman, MD, medical director of the Cancer Center. “Our patients will benefit from our center’s commitment to meet and exceed the Commission on Cancer’s standards and our resolve to continuously raise the bar on the comprehensive, patient-centered cancer care offered to the Anna Jaques community.”

“The entire staff at Anna Jaques is very proud of this accomplishment and for the recognition of the excellent care the Cancer Center delivers in the community,” said Jeffrey Brickman, interim president, Anna Jaques Hospital. “We applaud the talented team of caregivers and staff within the Cancer Center for their commitment and dedication to providing our oncology patients with the highest level of care.”

The Commission on Cancer Accreditation provides a framework for Anna Jaques Cancer Center to deliver the highest quality of patient care through various cancer-related programs, including prevention, early diagnosis, cancer staging, optimal treatment, rehabilitation, life-long follow-up for recurrent disease and end-of-life care. Cancer Center patients have access to clinical trials and new treatments, genetic counseling and patient-centered services, including psycho-social support, a patient navigation process and a survivorship care plan that documents the care they receive and seeks to improve cancer survivors’ quality of life.

“Having access to high-quality health care close to home benefits everyone who lives in the region,” said Michelle Petryk, RN, director of cancer services at Anna Jaques. “Achieving accreditation for Anna Jaques Cancer Center is important for ensuring safe, quality care for our patients and our community.”

Like all Commission on Cancer-accredited facilities, Anna Jaques Cancer Center maintains a cancer registry and contributes data to the National Cancer Database (NCDB), a joint program of the Commission on Cancer and American Cancer Society. This nationwide oncology outcomes database is the largest clinical disease registry in the world. Data on all types of cancer are tracked and analyzed through the NCDB and used to explore trends in cancer care. Accredited cancer centers also 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 Commission on Cancer facilities with their quality improvement efforts.

The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 1.9 million cases of cancer will be diagnosed in 2023. There are currently more than 1,500 Commission on Cancer-accredited cancer programs in the United States; Commission on Cancer-accredited facilities diagnose and/or treat more than 70 percent of all newly diagnosed patients with cancer.

Established in 1922 by the American College of Surgeons, the Commission on Cancer is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to improving patient outcomes and quality of life for cancer patients through standard setting, prevention, research, education and the monitoring of comprehensive, quality care. Its membership includes Fellows of the American College of Surgeons. For more information, visit the American College of Surgeons website.

About Anna Jaques Hospital

Anna Jaques Hospital is a 119-bed not-for-profit community hospital serving the Merrimack Valley, North Shore and Southern New Hampshire. With 1,200 employees and more than 200 physicians on staff, Anna Jaques is recognized for delivering high quality community health care with an emphasis on patient satisfaction.

Anna Jaques Hospital is a part of Beth Israel Lahey Health, a health care system that brings together academic medical centers and teaching hospitals, community and specialty hospitals, more than 4,700 physicians, and 39,000 employees in a shared mission to expand access to great care and advance the science and practice of medicine through ground-breaking research and education.