SBU Breast Care Center Earns Reaccreditation
Achievement reflects center’s commitment to providing highest level of quality breast care
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STONY BROOK, NY, December 5, 2012 – The Carol M. Baldwin Breast Care Center at Stony Brook University Cancer Center has been granted three-year full re-accreditation by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC) following a site visit earlier this year.
Administered nationally by the American College of Surgeons, NAPBC accreditation is granted to centers that have voluntarily committed to provide the highest level of quality breast care and that undergo a rigorous evaluation process and performance review. The Carol M. Baldwin Breast Care Center was the first breast center in the State of New York to receive NAPBC Accreditation, in 2009. The re-accreditation period is from April 2012 to April 2015.
“Accreditation by the NAPBC is the gold standard of breast care,” said Yusuf A. Hannun, MD, Director of the Stony Brook University Cancer Center, Vice Dean, Cancer Medicine, and the Joel Kenny Professor of Medicine. “Patients at Stony Brook can be reassured that our Breast Center adheres to stringent national standards and provides the highest level of quality care.”
“This is a great accomplishment for our breast program, our hospital, and the entire University community,” said Brian O’Hea, MD, FACS, Associate Professor of Clinical Surgery at Stony Brook University School of Medicine, Chief of Breast and Oncologic Surgery at Stony Brook Medicine and Director of the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Care Center. “This accreditation is further validation of the high quality breast care that we provide. As a team, we will continue to work hard in serving the needs of our patients and their families.”
Accreditation ensures that patients have access to comprehensive care, including state-of-the-art services, a multidisciplinary team approach to coordinate the best treatment options, information about ongoing clinical trials and new treatment options, and quality breast care close to home.
To be accredited, breast centers must complete a detailed application process, followed by a full-day site visit by the NAPBC. Breast centers are judged on 27 standards during the evaluation. The standards include a wide array of necessary and supportive breast care measures and patient support, such as evaluation and management guidelines, patient navigation, breast conservation, breast cancer staging, diagnostic imaging, radiation oncology, medical oncology, genetic evaluation and management, reconstructive surgery, clinical trials, and quality and outcomes. By meeting or exceeding all 27 standards without any deficiencies, the Breast Center received full accreditation.
The NAPBC Performance Report said Dr. O’Hea and his team “provide all the necessary components for complete, state-of-the-art and comprehensive breast care. They diagnose and treat benign and malignant disease and have a well-developed algorithm for patient intake and navigation through the diagnosis and treatment phases of breast cancer care. They offer multiple educational and support services as well as offer community outreach education and many different types of screening and support programs to satisfy the diverse cultural mix of their patient population.”
“At the Breast Care Center, we provide this level of care to more than 450 newly diagnosed breast cancer patients each year,” Dr. O’Hea said. “Our multidisciplinary team approach to breast cancer treatment distinguishes the quality of care we provide.”
Established in 1995, the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Care Center at Stony Brook University Medical Center is the only comprehensive academic program of its kind on Long Island. The Center provides full patient services with the most up-to-date methods for screening, treatment, and post-treatment care for those with benign breast disease and cancer. Multidisciplinary services bring together clinical and research faculty from the Departments of Surgery, Radiology, Pathology, Medical Oncology, Radiation Oncology, Physical Therapy, Nutrition, Cancer Genetics and Social Work.
NAPBC began surveying breast centers for accreditation in September 2008. The NAPBC is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to the improvement of the quality of care and monitoring of outcomes of patients with diseases of the breast. Its board membership includes professionals from national organizations that reflect the full spectrum of breast care.
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About Stony Brook University Cancer Center:
Stony Brook University Cancer Center is Suffolk County’s cancer care leader and a leader in education and research. With more than 20,000 inpatient and outpatient visits annually, the Cancer Center includes 12 multidisciplinary teams: Breast Cancer; Colorectal Cancer; Gynecologic Oncology; Head, Neck and Thyroid Oncology; Lung Cancer; Melanoma; Neurologic Oncology; Pediatric Hematology/Oncology; Sarcoma; Stem Cell Transplantation and Hematologic Malignancy; Upper Gastrointestinal Oncology; and Urologic Oncology. The cancer program is accredited by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer as a Teaching Hospital Cancer Program and received the Commission’s Outstanding Achievement Award. The Carol M. Baldwin Breast Care Center is the first center in New York State to be accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers. To learn more, visit www.cancer.stonybrookmedicine.edu.
© Stony Brook University 2012
