Concord Hospital Payson Center for Cancer Care recognized by the Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons (AcoS)

The Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons has granted Three-Year Accreditation with Commendation to Concord Hospital Payson Center for Cancer Care. The Center receives a Three-Year Accreditation with Commendation following on-site evaluation by a physician surveyor during which the Center demonstrated a Commendation level of compliance with standards that represent the full scope of the cancer program (cancer committee leadership, cancer data management, clinical services, research, community outreach and quality improvement).

The Accreditation Program, a component of the CoC, sets quality-of-care standards for cancer programs and reviews the programs to ensure they conform to those standards. Accreditation by the CoC is given only to those facilities that have voluntarily committed to providing the highest level of quality cancer care and that undergo a rigorous evaluation process and review of their performance. To maintain accreditation, facilities with CoC-accredited cancer program must undergo an on-site review every three years.

Dr. Charles Catcher, medical director at the Payson Center notes, “We are very proud that this national body recognizes that the Payson Center provides high quality, state-of-the-art care. Achieving Accreditation with Commendation means that we exceed many of the standards established by the Commission and our community members should be pleased that this clinical service is available right here in Concord.”

Receiving care at a CoC-accredited cancer program 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;


• Access to cancer-related information, education and support;


• A cancer registry that collects data on type and stage of cancers and treatment results and offers lifelong patient follow-up;


• On going monitoring and improvement of care;


• And, most importantly, Quality, cancer care close to home.