August 15, 2012

When it comes to cancer care, Martha Jefferson Hospital has a new accreditation and a new physician in the department. CBS19's Stephanie Satchell has more on what's new for the breast center in this week's Martha Jefferson Healthwise report.

Martha Jefferson Hospital is receiving recognition for the care they provide to patients with breast cancer. The National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers recently awarded Martha Jefferson a three year, full accreditation.

“The whole purpose of it is to identify and recognize programs that really have an emphasis in improving quality of care, monitor patient outcomes and really have that focus to overall decreased morbidity of breast cancer,” said Dr. Erika Struble, Oncologist, Martha Jefferson Hospital.

Dr. Struble is new oncologist on the team and says this honor is a great accomplishment for the hospital, but it will mean even more for patients needing radiology, pathology, surgery and more at the breast center.

“It shows them that we are dedicated for continual improvement of the quality of care that we deliver our breast patients,” said Struble.

There are several accreditation guidelines. They include patient experience, physician/patient communication and communication between different departments in the hospital.

Those are all areas Dr. Struble says are important from the time patients are diagnosed with breast cancer up until the time they have completed treatment.

Of the nearly 400 breast centers in the entire country that have applied and been granted this accreditation, only 28 are in Virginia.