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Accreditations and Designations

• National Cancer Institute (NCI)
• Joint Commission
• National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)
• Michigan Cancer Consortium (MCC)
• Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons
• The Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®)
• Blue Distinction Center for Complex and Rare Cancers®

National Cancer Institute

The National Cancer Institute has designated the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMCCC) one of 41 comprehensive cancer centers in the United States. As an NCI-designated site, the Cancer Center receives a Cancer Center Support Grant awarded through a rigorous peer-review process that evaluates the scientific merit of an institution's programming. To qualify as a comprehensive cancer center, institutions must meet strict guidelines for:

• significant research activities in laboratory, clinical and population-based research;
• participation in NCI testing of new therapies;
• significant programming in cancer prevention and control; and
• programs in patient education, community service and outreach as well as the training of health professionals.

Joint Commission

As part of the University of Michigan Health System, the UMCCC has earned accreditation from the Joint Commission. The Joint Commission, a voluntary accreditation system, is recognized as a world leader in setting the highest standards for health-care quality.

To qualify for accreditation, the U-M Health System is evaluated by specially trained health-care experts who assess how well the staff:

• provides a safe environment for care;
• educates patients about the risks and options for diagnosis and treatment;
• protects patient rights, including privacy rights;
• evaluates a patient's condition before, during and after diagnosis and treatment;
• protects patients from infection; and
• plans for emergency situations.

Joint Commission accreditation indicates the Cancer Center's commitment to providing the safest advanced care available.

National Comprehensive Cancer Network

The UMCCC is one of 21 premier centers participating in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. The NCCN works to ensure continuous quality improvement in the field of cancer care through several resources, including uniform, state-of-the-art treatment guidelines. The guidelines, which are updated at least annually, cover 97 percent of all cancers and have been widely implemented by health-care providers throughout the United States.

Easy-to-understand versions of the guidelines are available to assist patients and their families with making well-informed decisions about care. Treatment guidelines are available for several types of cancer as well as supportive-care issues, such as cancer pain and nausea. To access the guidelines, please visit NCCN/ACS Treatment Guidelines for Patients on the NCCN website.

Michigan Cancer Consortium

The UUMCCC is a member of the Michigan Cancer Consortium. This statewide network of almost 90 Michigan organizations is an ambitious public-private partnership formed to reduce the social, personal and economic burdens that cancer imposes on families by achieving cancer-control objectives for Michigan.

The MCC has defined a set of public-health priorities to help prevent cancer and improve standards of care. Priorities range from improving smoking-cessation rates to standardizing language among care providers to ensure appropriate treatment regimens are implemented.

The Cancer Center's founding principles are rooted in the importance of collaboration; the center is proud to be working with in partnership with other MCC members to reduce the devastating impact of cancer on Michigan citizens.

Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons

The Commission on Cancer (CoC) is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to improving survival and quality of life for cancer patients through standard-setting, prevention, research, education, and the monitoring of comprehensive quality care.

The quality standards established by the CoC for cancer programs ensure:

• comprehensive care including a complete range of state-of-the-art services and equipment
• A multidisciplinary team approach to coordinate the best available treatment options
• Information about ongoing cancer clinical trials and new treatment options
• Access to prevention and early detection programs, cancer education, and support services
• A cancer registry that offers lifelong patient follow-up
• Ongoing monitoring and improvements in cancer care
• Quality care, close to home

For more information about the Commission on Cancer, please visit the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons web site.

The Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®)

The University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center is recognized by the QOPI® Certification Program, an affiliate of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and its Quality Oncology Practice Initiative. The QOPI Certification Program provides a three-year certification for outpatient hematology-oncology practices that meet standards for quality cancer care.

For more information about QOPI®, please visit the The Quality Oncology Practice Initiative web site or the American Society of Clinical Oncology web site.

 

Blue Distinction Center for Complex and Rare Cancers®

The national Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association has designated the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center as a Blue Distinction Center. This means UMCCC meets strict requirements for delivering quality health-care in specific specialties. Facilities designated as Blue Distinction Centers for Complex and Rare Cancers offer comprehensive inpatient cancer care programs for adults, delivered by multidisciplinary teams with subspecialty training and distinguished clinical expertise in treating complex and rare subtypes of cancer. The selection criteria used in designating Blue Distinction Centers for Complex and Rare Cancers were developed in collaboration with expert physicians and medical organizations, including the National Comprehensive Cancer Network®.

The Cancer Center programs that have received this distinction are:

• Acute Leukemia - Inpatient, Non-Surgical
• Bladder
• Bone - Primary
• Brain - Primary
• Esophageal
• Gastric
• Head and Neck
• Liver - Primary
• Pancreatic
• Ocular Melanoma
• Rectal
• Soft Tissue Sarcomas
• Thyroid - Medullary and/or Anaplastic

For more information about QOPI®, please visit BlueCross BlueShield Association's Blue Distinction Centers for Complex and Rare Cancers® webpage.

Updated 10/2012

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