The Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute 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.
“Radiation oncology is an integral part of the comprehensive approach we take to treatment at the Cancer Institute, and this accreditation underscores the excellence with which our team approaches every patient’s care,” said Kristi Gafford, senior vice president of operations with the Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute.
The ACR is the nation’s oldest and most widely accepted radiation oncology accrediting body, with more than 700 accredited sites and 30 years of accreditation experience. The ACR seal of accreditation represents the highest level of quality and patient safety. It is awarded only to facilities that meet 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.
The teams assess patient care and treatment, patient safety, personnel qualifications, adequacy of facility equipment, quality control procedures, and quality assurance programs. 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.
The ACR is a national professional organization serving more than 36,000 diagnostic/interventional radiologists, radiation oncologists, nuclear medicine physicians, and medical physicists with programs focusing on the practice of medical imaging and radiation oncology and the delivery of comprehensive health care services.