First Hospitals in the East Bay to Receive Accreditation
CONCORD, Calif. & WALNUT CREEK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- John Muir Health’s Radiation Oncology programs at its Concord and Walnut Creek medical centers have received accreditation from The American College of Radiology (ACR), the nation’s oldest and most widely recognized radiation oncology and medical imaging accrediting body. This recognition places John Muir Health in the company of 200 radiation oncology facilities in the United States that are ACR accredited or in the accreditation review process, and the only hospitals in the East Bay to be recognized.
The rigorous ACR review process includes a self-assessment and an independent external expert audit, based on the ACR guidelines and technical standards, which assesses the qualifications of personnel, policies and procedures, equipment specifications, Quality Assurance activities, patient safety, and ultimately the quality of patient care. ACR accreditation requires that the physicians providing radiation therapy treatment to patients meet stringent education and training standards. ACR accreditation also requires that the equipment is surveyed regularly by qualified medical physicists to ensure that it is functioning properly, and that the radiation therapists administering the treatments are appropriately certified.
“We sought accreditation as a means to benchmark our quality standards and to help us continuously improve the quality of care we provide to our patients,” said Michael Levine, M.D., Medical Director of Radiation Oncology at John Muir Health.
“We participated in a rigorous preparation that encompassed our entire department – physicians, physicists, nurses, clinicians, nurse navigators and social workers,” states Levine. “The entire process, including the two-day inspection, helped to ensure that we are providing patients with the best possible care based on national standards. This is a significant achievement and recognition for our team and our program.”
The Radiation Oncology program at John Muir Health provides services at both the Concord and Walnut Creek medical centers. The program serves more than 1,000 patients each year and provides state-of-the-art equipment, facilities, and advanced treatment technologies including:
- RapidArc® IMRT (intensity modulated radiotherapy)
- Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS)
- Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT)
- Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)
- Brachytherapy
- Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation (APBI)
- Wide Bore 4D CT Scanner
- Robotic Couch
- Image Guided Radiotherapy (IGRT)
- Respiratory Gating
John Muir Health has one of the largest and the most technologically advanced Radiation Oncology programs in the Bay Area. Founded more than 30 years ago, the program is led by five board-certified radiation oncologists who have more than 100 years of combined experience.
The ACR, headquartered in Reston, Va., awards accreditation to facilities for the achievement of high practice standards after a peer-review evaluation of its practice. Surveys are conducted by board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field. The surveyors report their finding to the ACR’s Committee on Radiation Oncology Accreditation, which subsequently provides the practice with a comprehensive report. Accredited facilities must be re-inspected every three years to maintain their standing.
About John Muir Health
John Muir Health is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit health care organization located east of San Francisco, serving patients in Contra Costa, eastern Alameda and southern Solano Counties. It includes a network of 925 primary care and specialty physicians, more than 6,000 employees, medical centers in Concord and Walnut Creek, including the county’s only trauma center, and a Behavioral Health Center. The health system also offers a full-range of medical services, including primary care, outpatient, lab and imaging services, and is widely recognized as a leader in many specialties – neurosciences, orthopedic, cancer, cardiovascular, emergency and high-risk obstetrics care. For more information, visit www.johnmuirhealth.com.
CONTACT:
John Muir Health
Ben Drew, 925-947-5387
[email protected]
KEYWORDS: United States North America California
INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Health Hospitals Oncology Radiology
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