Walnut Creek Medical Center Earns Prestigious Cancer Center Accreditation

The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons has granted Three-Year Accreditation with five commendations to the cancer program at Kaiser Permanente’s Walnut Creek Medical Center.

The Walnut Creek Medical Center is the second Kaiser Permanente facility in the Northern California region to receive this accreditation.

To earn voluntary CoC accreditation, a cancer program must meet or exceed 34 CoC quality care standards, be evaluated every three years through a survey process, and maintain levels of excellence in the delivery of comprehensive patient-centered care.  Three-Year Accreditation with commendations is only awarded to a facility that exceeds standard requirements at the time of its triennial survey.

“We are honored to have the outstanding cancer care we provide to be recognized in this way,” said Dr. Michael Russin, chief of medical oncology for Kaiser Permanente’s Walnut Creek Medical Center. “It truly is the hard work, dedication and caring of our physicians and staff that makes recognitions like these possible; everyone coming together to see that we provide the right care to our patients at the right time.”

Kaiser Permanente’s Walnut Creek Medical Center takes a multidisciplinary approach to treating cancer as a complex group of diseases that requires consultation among surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, diagnostic radiologists, pathologists, and other cancer specialists.  This multidisciplinary partnership results in improved patient care.

“We invest in our patients and their health,” said Janice Hoss, service line director of oncology, hematology and infusion for Kaiser Permanente’s Diablo Area. “Our accredited program shows patients and their loved ones that they can trust that they are receiving the most up-to-date and advanced cancer care available. Our team sought out this designation because of its rigorous standards in providing high-quality patient-centered care. It is this dedication to our patients and members that makes our cancer care program stand out.”

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’ quality of life.

The CoC accreditation comes on the heels of other cancer care recognition for Kaiser Permanente’s Diablo Area. In May, the medical offices in Martinez were designated a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology.

Established in 1922 by the American College of Surgeons, the CoC is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to improving patient outcomes and quality of life for cancer patients through standard-setting, prevention, research, education, and the monitoring of comprehensive, quality care. Its membership includes Fellows of the American College of Surgeons.

For more information, visit: Walnut Creek Annual Report