NCCS joins CoC to reduce morbidity and mortality of cancer

National Coalition for Cancer SurvivorshipFeb 10 2010

The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) has accepted an invitation to join the Commission on Cancer (CoC), a multidisciplinary organization administered by the American College of Surgeons dedicated to reducing the morbidity and mortality of cancer through education, standards setting, and the monitoring of quality of care.

The CoC has invited NCCS, a key patient advocacy organization, to join with its members' efforts to improve the quality of care and services received by cancer patients.

"We are very pleased that NCCS has been invited to join the Commission on Cancer," said Thomas P. Sellers, President & CEO of NCCS. "We believe the evolution of the Commission on Cancer's mission aligns well with our mission to ensure that all Americans have access to high quality cancer care that is comprehensive, coordinated, and patient-centered. We look forward to advancing this important work together."

By joining the Commission, NCCS has the opportunity to ensure patients' voices are heard as CoC accredits cancer programs at over 1,400 hospitals and health care organizations nationwide and collects information for over 70 percent of all cancer patients treated in the United States.

NCCS will collaborate with the CoC on efforts including using the Commission's National Cancer Data Base and hospital registries to produce patient care summaries and care plans. NCCS has long advocated for the widespread use of cancer treatment plans and summaries and post-treatment care plans as an essential part of quality cancer care.

Through its public policy and grassroots outreach, NCCS educates cancer survivors and decision makers about the need for cancer care planning, which coordinates care among multiple specialists and settings, eliminates duplicative testing, and eases patients' anxiety about the difficult transitions before, during and after cancer treatment. NCCS also collaborates in programs such as Journey Forward (www.JourneyForward.org), which provides free tools that help doctors and patients work together to create a treatment summary and post-treatment care plan.