SEATTLE – (May 9, 2016) – Virginia Mason has earned accreditation as an academic cancer center by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer, extending a history of continuous accreditation that began in 1941.

The Commission on Cancer (CoC) recognizes cancer programs for their commitment to providing comprehensive, high-quality and multidisciplinary patient-centered care. More than 1,500 CoC-accredited programs in the United States treat nearly 70 percent of the nation’s recently diagnosed cancer patients every year. 

John Corman. MD
John Corman, MD

“This accreditation underscores the quality of our comprehensive diagnostic and treatment services and the broad expertise of our physicians and other care team members,” said John Corman, MD, medical director, Virginia Mason Cancer Institute. (Watch this video featuring Dr. Corman.)

Virginia Mason has been accredited by the CoC for 75 years, making it one of the longest continuously accredited facilities in the United States. Accreditation must be approved every three years.

Multi-disciplinary teams of medical and radiation oncologists, pathologists and other experts at Virginia Mason work together in developing evidence-based treatment programs designed to meet each patient’s specific and unique needs.

Physicians also participate in numerous clinical trials in which promising cancer therapies are explored. Additionally, Virginia Mason is a participant in the National Cancer Institute Northwest Community Oncology Research Program

As a CoC-accredited facility, Virginia Mason provides:

  • Quality care close to home
  • Comprehensive care
  • A multidisciplinary team approach to patient care
  • Information and education
  • Patient-centered services
  • Genetic assessment and counseling
  • Care monitoring and quality improvement
  • Treatment planning based on evidence-based national treatment guidelines
  • Clinical trials and new treatment options
  • Tissue banking
  • Follow-up care, including a survivorship care plan
  • Patient tracking through the national cancer data system

Learn more about cancer care at Virginia Mason by calling (206) 223-6193 or going online to VirginiaMason.org/Cancer

About Virginia Mason Health System Virginia Mason, founded in 1920, is a nonprofit regional health care system based in Seattle that serves the Pacific Northwest. In the Puget Sound region, the system includes 336-bed Virginia Mason Hospital; a primary and specialty care group practice of more than 500 physicians; regional medical centers in Seattle, Bainbridge Island, Bellevue, Federal Way, Kirkland, Issaquah and Lynnwood; Bailey-Boushay House, the first skilled-nursing and outpatient chronic care management program in the U.S. designed and built specifically to meet the needs of people with HIV/AIDS; Benaroya Research Institute, which is internationally recognized for autoimmune disease research; and Virginia Mason Institute, which trains health care professionals and others from around the world in the Virginia Mason Production System, an innovative management methodology for continually improving quality, safety and efficiency. Virginia Mason online: VirginiaMason.org

Virginia Mason also includes Yakima-based Memorial Family of Services and Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital, a 226-bed facility serving the Yakima Valley in Central Washington since 1950. Memorial Family of Services comprises primary care practices and specialty care services, including high quality cardiac care, a continuum of cancer care, hospice care, and advanced services for children with special health care needs. Memorial online: YakimaMemorial.org

Media Contact:
Gale Robinette
Media Relations Manager
Virginia Mason Health System
(206) 341-1509
gale.robinette@VirginiaMason.org

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