Media Contacts: Elaine Wohl
516-465-2600 / 2615
ewohl@nshs.edu

Terry Lynam
516-465-2640/2600
tlynam@nshs.edu

MANHASSET, NY – North Shore University Hospital (NSUH)  in Manhasset announced today it has been selected to receive the Commission on Cancer’s (CoC) Outstanding Achievement Award , which recognizes cancer programs that strive for excellence in providing quality care to cancer patients.

“We are thrilled to receive this exceptional designation from the Commission on Cancer, which was established by the American College of Surgeons to recognize the nation’s finest cancer programs. It’s a testament to the daily dedication and expertise of our physicians and staff,” said Daniel Budman, MD, acting chief of the Combined Divisions of Hematology-Oncology at NSUH and LIJ. 

Eligibility and accreditation are granted only to those facilities that have voluntarily committed to provide the best in cancer care and are able to comply with the established CoC standards. Each cancer program must undergo a rigorous evaluation and review of its performance and compliance with CoC standards and on-site evaluation every three years.

“The CoC’s Outstanding Achievement Award is a great honor that has been presented to less than 100 cancer centers nationwide over the past year. This designation reflects the deep commitment of our staff to provide the highest quality of care to the thousands of cancer patients who rely on us for care,” said Vincent Vinciguerra MD, chief of the Don Monti Division of Medical Oncology/Hematology at NSUH.

To receive the CoC’s Outstanding Achievement Award, facilities receive an on-site evaluation by a physician surveyor and must demonstrate a high level of compliance with seven standards that represent the full scope of the cancer program within six areas of program activities: cancer committee leadership, cancer data management, clinical management, research, community outreach and quality improvement. In addition, a facility receives a compliance rating for the remaining 29 standards. Only 90 programs have received the CoC’s Outstanding Achievement Award as a result of surveys preformed in 2010, which represents 17 percent of the more than 400 programs surveyed during this period.

There are more than 1,500 CoC-accredited cancer programs across the country, which diagnose and treat 71 percent of newly diagnosed cancer patients annually. Participating programs provide a continuum of cancer care, from prevention and early detection, pretreatment evaluation and staging, to optimal treatment, rehabilitation, surveillance for recurrent disease, support services, end-of-life or lifelong follow-up care.

About North Shore-LIJ Health System
The nation's second-largest, non-profit, secular healthcare system, North Shore-LIJ delivers world-class clinical care throughout the New York metropolitan area, pioneering research at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research and a visionary approach to medical education, highlighted by the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine. The winner of the National Quality Forum’s 2010 National Quality Healthcare Award, North Shore-LIJ cares for people at every stage of life at 15 hospitals, long-term care facilities and more than 200 ambulatory care centers throughout the region. North Shore-LIJ’s owned hospitals and long-term care facilities house about 5,600 beds, employ more than 10,000 nurses and have affiliations with more than 9,000 physicians. Its workforce of about 43,000 is the largest on Long Island and the ninth-largest in New York City. For more information, go to www.northshorelij.com.