Thursday, May 7, 2009

Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center is proud to announce that Penn State Hershey Breast Center has been granted a three-year, full accreditation designation by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), a program administered by the American College of Surgeons. The Center earned a perfect score by successfully meeting with all 27 standards outlined by the NAPBC.

“This achievement reflects the dedication of our entire breast team to provide the optimum in breast care,” states Rena Kass, co-director of the Breast Center.

Accreditation by the NAPBC is only given to those centers that have voluntarily committed to provide the highest level of quality breast care and that undergo a rigorous evaluation process and review of their performance. During the survey process, the center demonstrated compliance with standards established by NAPBC for treating women who are diagnosed with the full spectrum of breast disease. The standards include proficiency in the areas of: center leadership, clinical management, research, community outreach, professional education, and quality improvement. A breast center that achieves NAPBC accreditation has demonstrated a firm commitment to offer its patients every significant advantage in their battle against breast disease.

Receiving care at a NAPBC-accredited center ensures that patients will have access to:

• Comprehensive care, including a full range of state-of-the-art services.
• A multidisciplinary team approach to coordinate the best treatment options.
• Information about ongoing clinical trials and new treatments.
• Quality breast care close to home.

”Our goal at the Penn State Hershey Breast Center is promote lifelong breast health through quality multidisciplinary care,” J. Stanley Smith, breast disease team leader, Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute.

The NAPBC is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to the improvement of the quality of care and monitoring of outcomes of patients with disease of the breast. The mission is pursued through standard-setting, scientific validation, and patient and professional education. Its board membership includes professionals from 15 national organizations that reflect the full spectrum of breast care.

The American Cancer Society estimated that there would be 184,450 patients diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in the United States in 2008 (source: American Cancer Society Cancer Facts & Figures 2008). In addition, hundreds of thousands of women who deal with benign breast disease this year will require medical evaluation for treatment options.

For more information about the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers, visit their Web site at www.accreditedbreastcenters.org.