Methodist Hospital Honored by American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer

The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) has granted its 2019 Outstanding Achievement Award to a select group of 49 accredited cancer programs throughout the United States. 

For the third consecutive survey cycle, Methodist Hospital, home to Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center, has received the honor. Methodist’s is the only cancer center in Omaha to be honored during the 2019 cycle.

“This award is further validation of what our cancer patients already know,” said Josie Abboud, president and CEO of Methodist Hospital. “They will receive individualized, compassionate, high-quality care. We’re committed to providing The Meaning of Care to every patient.”

Award criteria were based on qualitative and quantitative surveys of cancer programs conducted throughout the year.

The purpose of the award is to raise the bar on quality cancer care, with the ultimate goal of increasing awareness about quality care choices among cancer patients and their loved ones. In addition, the award is intended to:

• Recognize cancer programs that achieve excellence in providing quality care to cancer patients
• Motivate other cancer programs to work toward improving their level of care
• Facilitate dialogue between award recipients and health care professionals at other cancer facilities for the purpose of sharing best practices
• Encourage honorees to serve as quality-care resources to other cancer programs

“Providing the best care possible to our patients is our priority,” said Kelli Eaton, service executive for oncology services at Methodist Hospital. “This honor is a testament to the teamwork on display daily at Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center.”

The 49 award-winning cancer care programs represent approximately 7% of programs surveyed by the CoC from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2019. A full list of the award-winning programs can be found at the ACS website.

“More and more, we’re finding that patients and their families want to know how the health care institutions in their communities compare with one another,” said Lawrence N. Shulman, MD, MACP, chair of the CoC. “They want access to information in terms of who’s providing the best quality of care, and they want to know about overall patient outcomes. Through this recognition program, I’d like to think we’re playing a small but vital role in helping them make informed decisions on their cancer care.”

He added: “These cancer programs currently represent the best of the best when it comes to cancer care. These facilities are not just meeting nationally recognized standards for the delivery of quality cancer care. They are exceeding them.”