1/22/2013

UPMC CancerCenter has received accreditation by the American College of Radiation Oncology (ACRO), making it the largest comprehensive cancer network in the country to be accredited in radiation oncology.

Twenty of the UPMC CancerCenter’s 21 sites in western Pennsylvania were accredited. The 21st site, located at the newly opened UPMC East, will be eligible for accreditation after being opened for one year.

ACRO is the only national organization in the country dedicated to radiation oncology, and its validation confirms that UPMC CancerCenter, partner with the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, is delivering the highest quality of care to its patients. The lengthy and in-depth accreditation process included a thorough review of patient charts, technology, staff certifications and documentation of processes for each radiation oncology site, among other things, followed by ACRO’s visits to each site to survey day-to-day operations.

“We know we deliver quality, safe, state-of-the-art care for a variety of cancers, and we do it across a large geographic area. But it’s always helpful to have outside experts look critically at what and how we do what we do. We are constantly trying to improve the care we give to our patients,” said Dwight E. Heron, M.D., director of Radiation Oncology Services at UPMC CancerCenter.

At its treatment locations in western Pennsylvania, UPMC CancerCenter uses a variety of techniques to provide the best, most up-to-date care for the approximately 7,000 cancer patients undergoing radiation every year. These include external beam radiotherapy, such as intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and 3-D conformal radiation therapy; stereotactic radiosurgery using the GammaKnife, CyberKnife and TrueBeam technologies, among others; and brachytherapy.

“Our radiation oncologists are experts in many advanced therapies, and that’s why so many patients choose to come to us for treatment. This accreditation is a wonderful validation of the work we’re doing and the strides we continue to make in advancing cancer care,” said Nancy Davidson, M.D., director of UPMC CancerCenter and the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute.

ACRO developed its accreditation program to help promote standards for radiation oncology. The accreditation process is voluntary.