Archive: Around Town

Cayuga Medical Center (CMC) announced that their Radiation Oncology Center has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation in radiation oncology as the result of a recent review by the American College of Radiology (ACR). Radiation oncology (radiation therapy) is the careful use of high-energy radiation to treat cancer. A radiation oncologist may use radiation to cure cancer or to relieve a cancer patient’s pain. This certification verifies that Cayuga Medical Center’s program meets or exceeds national standards of care in radiation medicine.

Cayuga Medical Center Radiation Oncology is located in a state-of-the-art facility adjacent to the medical center. Leading-edge technology (such as respiratory gating for patients with lung and breast cancer), clinical trials, and our affiliation with Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RCPI) ensure that radiation therapy patients have access to the latest radiation therapy protocols.

The radiation oncologist and medical director of the radiation oncology program at Cayuga Medical Center is Dr. John Powell who is also a Roswell Park physician. Dr. Powell said “I’m proud of our team’s hard work in earning this high rating of accreditation.  I’m very pleased that the ACR recognized our program and team members for their across-the-board excellence in radiation oncology care.” Cayuga Medical Center and RPCI are linked through high-speed digital technology. This electronic link, coupled with the opening of our state-of-the-art Radiation Oncology Center in 2005, gives local cancer patients access to the very latest cancer treatment protocols and research findings. Networked communications also facilitate patient-care planning and joint patient review conferences between specialists at Cayuga Medical Center and RPCI.

The ACR is the nation’s oldest and most widely accepted radiation oncology accrediting body, with over 500 accredited sites, and 25 years of accreditation experience. The ACR seal of accreditation represents the highest level of quality and patient safety. It is awarded only to facilities meeting specific Practice Guidelines and Technical Standards developed by ACR after a peer-review evaluation by board-certified radiation oncologists and medical physicists who are experts in the field. Patient care and treatment, patient safety, personnel qualifications, adequacy of facility equipment, quality control procedures, and quality assurance programs are assessed. The findings are reported to the ACR Committee on Radiation Oncology Accreditation, which subsequently provides the practice with a comprehensive report they can use for continuous practice improvement.

v9i42