South Nassau Cancer Program Earns National Recognition from American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer

South Nassau Communities Hospital’s Gertrude & Louis Feil Cancer Center has been named a recipient of the prestigious American College of Surgeons (ACS) Commission on Cancer (CoC) Outstanding Achievement Award. This is the third consecutive time that South Nassau has earned the national mark of excellence, which is awarded to eligible ACS accredited cancer programs every three years and reflects clinical process performance and patient outcomes which are among the best in the United States.

“Cancer patients in the communities we serve who come to South Nassau can be assured that they are receiving high quality, cutting edge care with a team approach as recognized by the American College of Surgeons,” said Richard J. Murphy, president and CEO of South Nassau. “This award demonstrates our commitment to meet the rigorous standards of the commission in pursuit of the best possible outcomes for our patients – all in a setting that is close to home.”

The Commission on Cancer 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.

Treating approximately 1,500 patients annually, The Gertrude & Louis Feil Cancer Center has evolved into one of the region’s premiere providers of compassionate advanced cancer care. The center is the only one on Long Island that is equipped with three of the most effective technologies used to treat and eradicate cancer: the Varian Novalis Tx™, da Vinci® Surgical System and Gamma Knife® Perfexion.

In addition to its Cancer Center in Valley Stream, NY, The Gertrude & Louis Feil Cancer Center incorporates the following specialty cancer care services:

• GYN Oncology Department (Valley Stream)
• Long Island Gamma Knife® Center (Oceanside)
• Center for Prostate Health Program (Oceanside)
• Center for Breast Health (Oceanside)
• Center for Lung Health (Oceanside/Valley Stream)
• Radiation Oncology Department (Oceanside and Valley Stream)
• Surgical Oncology Department (Oceanside and Valley Stream)
• Complete Women’s Imaging Center at South Nassau (Oceanside)
• PET/CT Service (Oceanside)

“Year after year, South Nassau’s cancer care program continues to demonstrate that patients on the South Shore of Long Island can receive great health care right here, close to home without the need to travel or commute to NYC,” said Rajiv Datta, MD, FACS, FRCS, FICS, chair of the department of surgery and medical director of the Gertrude & Louis Feil Cancer Center. “We have some of the very best cancer specialists on our staff and we are grateful that our team approach to treating cancer patients once again has been recognized as among the very best in the nation. It’s always good to have outside experts validate that we are doing what’s right for our patients.”

Established in 2004, the CoC Outstanding Achievement Award recognizes cancer programs that achieve excellence in providing quality care to cancer patients. A facility receives the award following an on-site evaluation by a physician surveyor, during which time the facility demonstrates a Commendation level of compliance with seven standards that represent the full scope of the cancer program (cancer committee leadership, cancer data management, clinical services, research, community outreach, quality improvement and outcomes reporting.

Through an exclusive partnership with the American Cancer Society, the CoC provides the public with information on the resources, services, and cancer treatment experience for each CoC-accredited cancer program. This information is shared with the public on the ACS Web site at www.cancer.org and through the ACS National Cancer Information Center at 1-800-ACS-2345.

The American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer was founded in 1922. . The CoC’s core functions include setting standards for quality, multidisciplinary cancer patient care; surveying facilities to evaluate compliance with the CoC standards; collecting standardized, high-quality data from accredited facilities; and using the data to develop effective educational interventions to improve cancer care outcomes at the national, state, and local level.

South Nassau is a recipient of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®–Target: Stroke Honor Roll-Elite Quality Achievement Award as well as the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Foundation Get With The Guidelines®–Heart Failure Silver-Plus Quality Achievement Award.

Designated a Magnet® hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), South Nassau® Communities Hospital is one of the region’s largest hospitals, with 455 beds, more than 900 physicians and 3,000 employees. Located in Oceanside, NY, the hospital is an acute-care, not-for-profit teaching hospital that provides state-of-the-art care in cardiac, oncologic, orthopedic, bariatric, pain management, mental health and emergency services.

In addition to its extensive outpatient specialty centers, South Nassau provides emergency and elective angioplasty, and is the only hospital on Long Island with the Novalis Tx™ and Gamma Knife® radiosurgery technologies. South Nassau is a designated Stroke Center by the New York State Department of Health and Comprehensive Community Cancer Center by the American College of Surgeons and is an accredited center of the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Association and Quality Improvement Program.

In addition, the hospital has been awarded the Joint Commission’s gold seal of approval as a Top Performer on Key Quality Measures, including heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care; and disease-specific care for hip and joint replacement, wound care and end-stage renal disease. For more information, visit South Nassau Communities Hospital.