Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute programs receive prestigious Outstanding Achievement awards

March 27, 2015 By Hartford HealthCare

Two cancer programs within the Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute (HHCCI) – the region’s largest and most comprehensive cancer health system – have been recognized with 2014 Outstanding Achievement Awards from the Commission on Cancer, an accrediting arm of the American College of Surgeons. The cancer programs at Hartford Hospital and The Hospital of Central Connecticut in New Britain were among 75 programs nationwide to receive the annual award for demonstrated excellence across a wide range of standards.

The programs at Hartford Hospital and The Hospital of Central Connecticut are among the five cancer programs that make up the Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute, which provides a consistent standard of world-class, coordinated care to patients across Connecticut. The other three programs within HHCCI are Backus Hospital in Norwich, MidState Medical Center in Meriden and Windham Hospital. Along with other recipients of the Outstanding Achievement Award, the programs at Hartford Hospitaland The Hospital of Central Connecticut were recognized for excellence in the delivery of cancer care based on a survey conducted last year that examined a variety of criteria and service areas.

“We are extremely proud that two of our exemplary programs have been selected to receive this prestigious award,” said Donna Handley, vice president of operations for HHCCI. “We feel these awards are recognition of the work that is being done across our Institute to bring the very best in state-of-the-art, compassionate care to patients. I would like to extend my congratulations to everyone who works to make our vision of excellence in cancer care a reality.”

The 75 recipients of the 2014 Outstanding Achievement Award represent about 15 percent of the cancer programs which the Commission on Cancer surveyed last year. Established in 2004, the award is given to programs that meet or exceed standards in 34 cancer categories within one of four cancer program activity areas: cancer committee leadership, cancer data management, clinical services and quality improvement. Programs are further evaluated on seven commendation standards: clinical trials accrual, cancer registrar education, public reporting of outcomes, College of American Pathologists Protocols, nursing care, Rapid Quality Reporting System participation and accuracy of data. The complete list of award recipients can be found at https://www.facs.org/quality-programs/cancer/accredited/about/outstanding/2014.

The award is also intended to help patients and others gauge the level of quality provided at various cancer programs across the country.

“More and more, we’re finding that patients and their families want to know how the health care institutions in their communities compare with one another,” said Daniel P. McKellar, MD, FACS, Chair of the Commission. “They want access to information in terms of who’s providing the best quality of care, and they want to know about overall patient outcomes. Through this recognition program, I’d like to think we’re playing a small, but vital role, in helping them make informed decisions on their cancer care.”

Clinical and administrative leaders at both the HH and HOCC programs said they were grateful for the recognition.

“This award is in many ways recognition of the commitment and dedication that everyone within our program brings to their jobs and roles every day on behalf of our patients,” said Andrew L. Salner, MD, medical director of the Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute at Hartford Hospital. “I am extremely proud of the expertise and sophisticated level of service we are able to provide, but more so of the individualized care and focus that our people provide to each of our patients every day.”

Peter Byeff, MD, medical director of the Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute at The Hospital of Central Connecticut, said the award comes as his hospital’s cancer program celebrates another milestone, recently relocating from the hospital campus to a spacious and comprehensive new facility on the New Britain-Plainville town line.

“We are proud of what we have achieved to this date, but excited about the even greater things we will achieve in the future as we expand our ability to bring seamless, coordinated care to patients,” he said.

Patients who come for care at any of the cancer programs within HHCCI will also benefit from the Institute’s pioneering membership in the Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Alliance. The Alliance is meant to provide community-level access to the world-renowned services and research protocols at MSK – recognized by U.S. News & World Report as the top-rated cancer program in the nation.

The Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute. The Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute offers cancer patients across Connecticut a single standard of world-class care based on superior clinical expertise, compassion and support for patients and access to leading-edge advances in technology, clinical research and protocols. The Institute is the charter member of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Alliance, a pioneering partnership established to bring the very latest advances in cancer research and treatment to broader populations of patients and communities. The Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute includes the cancer centers at Backus Hospital, Hartford Hospital, MidState Medical Center, The Hospital of Central Connecticut and Windham Hospital.