UHC Attains National Accreditation from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer
By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on February 05, 2025
The Cecil B. Highland, Jr. & Barbara B. Highland Cancer Center at WVU Medicine United Hospital Center (UHC) has received accreditation under the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Commission on Cancer (CoC) Accreditation Program. The ACS CoC is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to improving survival and quality of life for patients with cancer by setting and raising standards.
CoC accreditation is granted to institutions committed to providing high-quality cancer care by demonstrating compliance with the CoC standards. Each cancer program must undergo a rigorous evaluation and review of its performance and compliance with the CoC standards. To maintain accreditation, cancer programs must undergo a site visit every three years. The CoC accreditation standards supply the structure for providing all patients with a full range of diagnostic, treatment, and supportive services either on-site or by referral, including community-based resources.
“It is an honor for the cancer center at UHC to be recognized once again as an accredited program by the Commission on Cancer, as our cancer center has received consecutive approval since 1989,” said Meredith Williams, MPH, RN, OCN, director of Cancer Services. “Physicians and staff communicate and collaborate to provide high quality cancer care to our patients in the region. This approval acknowledges national recognition for the entire cancer care team at UHC.”
“As a CoC-accredited institution, UHC also becomes an ACS Surgical Quality Partner. Being a Surgical Quality Partner signifies an institution’s dedication to consistently improving procedures and approaches, while maintaining a critical eye on process at every step,” said Benjamin A. Raymond, DO, UHC General Surgery, Cancer Liaison Physician.“The Surgical Quality Partner designation lets patients know UHC is dedicated to quality and relentless self-improvement and has been verified or accredited by the ACS. Patients can trust that the care they receive at Surgical Quality Partner hospitals adheres to the most rigorous standards in surgical quality.”
"ACS Quality programs are grounded in more than a century of experience and participation is an important measure of a hospital’s surgical quality. As an ACS Surgical Quality Partner, UHC has shown a commitment providing the best possible patient care, evaluating that care in a rigorous fashion, and dedicating themselves to continuous self-improvement," said ACS Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, FACS.
Learn more about the CoC Accreditation Program.
Editor's Note: Top photo shows Meredith Williams, MPH, RN, OCN, Director of Cancer Services; and bottom image is of Benjamin A. Raymond, DO, UHC General Surgery and Cancer Liaison Physician.
