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Siteman Cancer Center achieves four-year accreditation for radiation oncology services

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The radiation oncology program at Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine has been accredited by a leading radiation oncology society.

The four-year accreditation by the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) is based on 16 evidence-based standards of radiation oncology practice. The 16 standards are focused on five areas: the process of care, the radiation oncology team, safety, quality management and patient-centered care.

The recognition by ASTRO’s Accreditation Program for Excellence (APEx) covers all four Siteman locations.

“ASTRO is proud to recognize Siteman Cancer Center for achieving APEx accreditation,” said ASTRO Chair David C. Beyer, MD. “Siteman Cancer Center has demonstrated a commitment to providing their patients with safe, high-quality radiation therapy services.”

ASTRO, which has more than 10,000 members worldwide, works to improve patient care through professional education and training, support for clinical practice and health policy standards, advancement of science and research and advocacy.

Accreditation through APEx is a voluntary, multi-step process that can take up to one year to complete. Each cancer center seeking APEx accreditation must have its policies and procedures evaluated using objective, verifiable expectations for performance in radiation oncology. A center also must demonstrate its commitment to high standards of safety and quality in the practice of radiation oncology and that it practices patient-centered care by promoting effective communication, coordinating treatment, and engaging patients and their families as partners in care.

“Siteman Cancer Center is pleased to have met the high standards required for APEx accreditation,” said Siteman radiation oncologist Jeff Michalski, MD, who also is vice chairman of radiation oncology and the Carlos Perez Distinguished Professor of Radiation Oncology at the School of Medicine. “The rigorous process and the hard work and dedication it requires of our faculty and staff demonstrate our commitment to delivering patient-centered radiation oncology care.”

James Kavanaugh, chief of satellite medical physics services at Siteman and Barnes-Jewish Hospital, and Sasa Mutic, PhD, a professor and the director of medical physics at Washington University, helped lead the accreditation process.