AGH Cancer Care Center gets re-accredited

(June 9, 2023) The Commission on Cancer, a quality program of the American College of Surgeons, has granted three-year accreditation to the John H. “Jack” Burbage Jr. Regional Cancer Care Center at Atlantic General Hospital.

To earn voluntary CoC accreditation, a cancer program must meet 34 CoC quality care standards, be evaluated every three years through an extensive survey process, and maintain levels of excellence in the delivery of comprehensive patient-centered care.

Because it is a CoC-accredited cancer center, the Burbage Regional Cancer Care Center takes a multidisciplinary approach to treating cancer as a complex group of diseases that requires consultation among surgeons, medical and radiation oncolo- gists, diagnostic radiologists, pathologists, and other cancer specialists. This multidisciplinary partnership results in improved patient care.

“Seeking cancer treatment locally is typically the best option for patients because it allows them to avoid the physical, emotional and financial hardships that can come with longdistance travel to a cancer center. This re-accreditation shows that our community can trust the care we provide here at the Burbage Regional Cancer Care Center,” center director Chanelle Lake said in a news release.

“And, it’s a testament to the good work that our dedicated staff do every day.”

The Burbage Regional Cancer Care Center has held CoC accreditation since 2018.

The CoC Accreditation Program provides the framework for the Burbage Regional Cancer Care Center to continuously improve quality of patient care through various cancerrelated programs that focus on the full spectrum of care including prevention, early diagnosis, cancer staging, optimal treatment, rehabilitation, life-long follow-up for recurrent disease, and end-of-life care.

When patients receive care at a CoC facility, they also have access to information on clinical trials and new treatments, genetic counseling, and patient centered services including psycho-social support, a patient navigation process, and a survivorship care plan that documents the care each patient receives and seeks to improve cancer survivors’ qualities of life.

Like all CoC-accredited facilities, the Burbage Regional Cancer Care Center maintains a cancer registry and contributes data to the National

Cancer Data Base, a joint program of the CoC and American Cancer Society.

This nationwide oncology outcomes database is the largest clinical disease registry in the world. Data on all types of cancer are tracked and analyzed through the NCDB and used to explore trends in cancer care.

CoC-accredited cancer centers, in turn, have access to information derived from this type of data analysis, which is used to create national, regional and state benchmark reports.

These reports help CoC facilities with their quality improvement efforts.

CoC-accredited facilities diagnose and/or treat more than 70 percent of all newly diagnosed patients with cancer. When patients choose to seek care locally at a CoC-accredited cancer center, they are gaining access to comprehensive, state-of-the-art cancer care close to home.

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Heiner in recovery at Hopkins

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Insurance will only cover 80 percent of the cost of $1.2 million surgery and the medication that Heiner will need for years post-surgery.

Heiner will need financial aid for at least a decade, Abrams said, so he and his wife, Karen, have been trained by and work with the Children’s Organ Transplant Association, or COTA, an organization that provides fundraising assistance to children in need of organ transplants, according to its website.

COTA is running Heiner’s fundraising even though she turned 35 on April 23, because COTA assists people of any age for certain diseases such as cystic fibrosis.

One-hundred percent of every contribution made through COTA goes to the patient’s transplant-related expenses, and money raised goes to pay medical bills directly for the patient, Heiner said.

According to the donation webpage COTA set up for Heiner, more than $29,403 had been raised as of Wednesday towards her $65,000 goal.

A COTA representative met with the Abrams on April 13 for a training session about how to fundraise for Heiner around Ocean City.

“We (the Abrams) raise the money, it goes to COTA. It’s put into her account for her, and as she expends funds the invoices go to COTA, and they write her reimbursement check or they pay the company that gets the money.” Abrams said.

The first fundraising event in Heiner’s honor was Emily’s Paint Night Fundraiser for New Lungs on April 15 at T.C. Studios on 15th Street in Ocean City. The event raised $3,000 with 39 attendees, Abrams said.

To learn more about Heiner, visit cota.org/campaigns/COTAforEmilys Lungs/blog/our-story.