St. Charles Cancer Center earns designation
St. Charles Cancer Center is the first in the state to earn the Certified Quality Breast Center designation from the National Quality Measures for Breast Centers™, a “seal of approval” that recognizes high quality care.
Certified Quality Breast Center-designated sites, of which there are only 23 nationally, are asked to examine their own data over a period of time and answer more than 30 questions about the specifics of care they provide. The questions relate to actual care provided — ranging from appointment scheduling to surgical treatment — and the answers can be compared with other institutions.
St. Charles Cancer Center supplied 2010 data for 75 percent of the NQMBC™ quality measures. Independently audited, the data represented two reporting periods of six months each, and met or exceeded benchmark standards.
“This designation is a seal of approval that we’ve met or exceeded the expectations for what is considered best care,” said Dr. Linyee Chang, clinical director of the St. Charles Cancer Center. “We’re not just calling ourselves a breast center — this is an endorsement by an external agency that rigorously scrutinizes how breast cancer care is provided.”
Last year, St. Charles Cancer Center also received a three-year, full accreditation from the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers after demonstrating 100 percent compliance with NAPBC standards for best care in treating women who are diagnosed with the full spectrum of breast disease.
“What these designations mean for our patients is that they can receive care that is on par with some of the most prestigious institutions in the country,” Chang said.
An estimated 232,340 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed this year among women in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society. During that same time, about 200women will be treated for breast cancer at the St. Charles Cancer Center.
