[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 487 Introduced in House (IH)]

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114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 487

Recognizing the importance of cancer program accreditation in ensuring 
       comprehensive, high quality, patient-centered cancer care.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 22, 2015

    Ms. Jenkins of Kansas (for herself and Mr. Neal) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Recognizing the importance of cancer program accreditation in ensuring 
       comprehensive, high quality, patient-centered cancer care.

Whereas accreditation from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer 
        (CoC) is a voluntary commitment by a cancer program that ensures 
        patients will have access to the full scope of services required to 
        diagnose, treat, rehabilitate, and support patients with cancer and 
        their families;
Whereas the Commission on Cancer, established in 1922, is a consortium of 
        professional organizations dedicated to improving survival and quality 
        of life for cancer patients and their families;
Whereas accreditation allows cancer programs to continually evaluate performance 
        and take proactive, corrective actions when necessary;
Whereas continuous evaluation reaffirms the commitment of the program to provide 
        high quality, patient-centered cancer care;
Whereas accreditation is regarded as important in improving oncologic outcomes 
        through compliance with standards that include continuous quality 
        improvement;
Whereas quality standards required for accreditation assure that patients 
        receive comprehensive care with a multidisciplinary team approach to 
        coordinate the best available treatment options;
Whereas patients treated by accredited cancer programs receive information about 
        ongoing cancer clinical trials and new treatment options, and access to 
        a cancer registry that offers lifelong patient follow-up;
Whereas accreditation promotes access to prevention and early detection 
        programs, cancer education, and support services;
Whereas patients treated in accredited programs have access to the full 
        continuum of patient centered care including distress screening, patient 
        navigation and delivery of survivorship care plans that detail 
        treatments received and provides detailed information on future care 
        needs;
Whereas accreditation requires evaluation of the entire scope, organization, and 
        activity of a cancer program by external peer review from specially 
        trained surveyors who evaluate compliance with stringent standards 
        designed to promote high quality care;
Whereas the quality reporting tools from the over 30,000,000 cases reported to 
        the Commission on Cancer's National Cancer Data Base provide feedback 
        needed to initiate quality improvement studies which ultimately lead to 
        implementation of quality improvements in accredited programs;
Whereas the Commission on Cancer uses data submitted to verify and improve 
        quality of care in cancer programs and to further scientific research; 
        and
Whereas the approximately 1,500 CoC-accredited hospitals in the United States 
        and Puerto Rico care for approximately 70 percent of newly diagnosed 
        cancer patients in the United States: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives recognizes the 
importance of accreditation by the American College of Surgeons 
Commission on Cancer for the purpose of assuring patient access to high 
quality, comprehensive cancer care.
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