News at UI Health

The University of Illinois Cancer Center has again been granted full accreditation by the Commission on Cancer (CoC), a nationally recognized program that develops comprehensive, patient-centered standards for cancer programs.

The three-year accreditation by the CoC, a program administered by the American College of Surgeons, recognizes UI Health as a provider of a full spectrum of cancer care, including prevention, early diagnosis, cancer staging, optimal treatment, rehabilitation, lifelong follow-up for recurrent disease, and end-of-life care. Patients at CoC facilities like UI Health also have access to information on clinical trials and new treatments, genetic counseling, and various patient-centered services.

UI Health and the University of Illinois Cancer Center first received CoC accreditation in 2016.

To earn accreditation, a cancer program must meet 38 quality-care standards across nine disciplines: community outreach, data collection, facilities and equipment, governance, institutional commitment, patient care, personnel, research, and quality improvement. Further, accredited programs must undergo evaluation by a survey process every three years and maintain excellence in the delivery of comprehensive, patient-centered care.

As an accredited facility, UI Health maintains a cancer registry and contributes data to the National Cancer Database. This nationwide oncology-outcomes database is the largest clinical disease registry in the world and is used to track, analyze, and explore trends in cancer care.

Accredited programs like UI Health take a multidisciplinary approach to cancer care, relying on coordination among surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, diagnostic radiologists, pathologists, and other cancer specialists to treat cancer as a complex group of diseases, resulting in improved patient care. 

CoC-accredited facilities diagnose or treat more than 70% of all newly diagnosed cancer patients. When cancer patients choose to seek care at a CoC-accredited cancer center, they are gaining access to comprehensive, state-of-the-art cancer care close to home.

Visit Cancer Services at UI Health to more about our cancer services.