Orlando Health Cancer Institute has earned a three-year accreditation from the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC) of the American College of Surgeons. Orlando Health is among fewer than 50 such programs in the nation to receive this recognition and one of only five in Florida.
The accreditation involves rigorous evaluation of a program’s performance and its compliance with NAPRC standards addressing program management, clinical services and quality improvements for patients. Another required component is a multidisciplinary rectal cancer team with clinical representatives from surgery, pathology, radiology, radiation oncology and medical oncology.
“Rectal cancer is a complex disease requiring the collaborative care of specialists committed to meeting, discussing and regularly reviewing patient care outcomes together,” says Patrick Kelly, MD, PhD, director of the Rectal Cancer Program at Orlando Health Cancer Institute.
“Our team has a dedicated focus on the specifics of GI cancers. All our surgeons are fellowship-trained colorectal surgeons. Our medical and radiation oncologists specialize in GI cancers, as do our pathologists and radiologists,” says Dr. Kelly. “This level of expertise cannot be matched by a generalist, and the NAPRC accreditation reflects our commitment to patient care here at Orlando Health.”
The outcomes for rectal cancer treatment can be variable and highly contingent upon specialization, training and volume. Institute specialists collaborate with a multidisciplinary tumor board to provide care that includes:
- Advanced minimally invasive surgery to avoid a permanent stoma
- “Incisionless” transanal surgery for early rectal tumors
- Enrollment in breakthrough clinical trials
“Clinical studies show being treated in a high-volume center providing multidisciplinary care results in better outcomes in terms of surgery, patient survival, quality of care and reduced side effects,” says Dr. Kelly.
“We see more than 50 cases of rectal cancer annually, which gives our team a different perspective from a center that sees only a few cases a year,” he says. “We are honored to provide this level of care to our patients and happy to work closely with referring physicians.”
Rectal cancer programs designated as high performers by the NAPRC also are accredited by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer. Orlando Health hospitals are recognized among the nation’s best by the IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals study for 2021.
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