On June 9th, 2021 Providence St. Vincent Medical Center was officially awarded accreditation by the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC). This effort was led by Jeffrey Manchio, MD serving as St. Vincent’s Rectal Cancer Program Director. Along with Providence Portland Medical Center, this achievement resulted in Providence St. Vincent (PSV) becoming one of the first two accredited centers in the entire Pacific Northwest region and one of only 25 centers nationally.
The NAPRC represents a collaborative national effort backed by the Commission on Cancer and the American College of Surgeons charged with the goal of optimizing the care and outcomes of patients with rectal cancer (https://www.facs.org/quality-programs/cancer/naprc). The ability for a center to apply for accreditation became available just two years ago. In order to achieve accreditation, a center must demonstrate compliance with all NAPRC standards that cover elements of care ranging from patient outcomes, to quality improvement efforts, to clinical service and program management. Following a rigorous NAPRC site review, a center adhering to all standards can be awarded accreditation.
Dr. Browning, Dr. Manchio and Dr. Kalu regularly participate in the PSV GI/Colorectal Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) tumor board meetings during which every patient with rectal cancer is discussed prior to, during and following treatment. This group includes our Colorectal Health NW surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, pathologists and radiologists. The MDT meeting is looked upon as the cornerstone of the NAPRC effort as the details of each case discussed at this meeting are reviewed collaboratively to arrive at the best possible treatment plan for that particular patient.
The impetus behind the creation of NAPRC is in large part the result of numerous studies (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29112560/) demonstrating vastly superior outcomes for patients with rectal cancer when their care is received at a high-volume center like PSV and their operation performed by a high-volume rectal cancer surgeon. While this may seem obvious, it remains all too often the case that patients throughout the United States receive rectal cancer treatment that does not meet with well establish standards of care. This is undoubtedly the result of a number of factors most influenced by the overall complexity of rectal cancer treatment and the need for well-coordinated care over a variety of specialties (surgery, medical oncology, radiation oncology, etc). As part of the NAPRC effort, PSV has employed two rectal cancer nurse navigators who help guide our patients through these complexities by being in close communication with both patient and surgeon.
Receiving a diagnosis of colorectal cancer is extremely overwhelming, but knowing your care is being managed by an expert in colorectal surgery and a team that excels in delivering expert treatment is invaluable. Colorectal Health NW looks forward to being able to help their patients with colorectal cancer through these challenges in order to arrive at the best possible outcome and is proud to be a leader of Providence St. Vincent Medical Center becoming a NAPRC accredited hospital.
