HIT 225
April 17, 2011
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Introduction to Oncology Care Program Cancer is a group of diseases that affect nearly every tissue or organ in the human body, and is the second leading cause of death in the United States. In 2007, lung cancer was the leading cause of death among males and females in Marin County, California (Marin Health & Human Services, 2007). Located in Marin County, Sunshine Hospital is a 235-bed teaching facility with generating revenue of more than $700,000,000 during 2007. The Hospital employs 1,220 employees, of which 698 are multidisciplinary physicians. Sunshine Hospital has renowned regional cardiology and oncology programs, and specializes in lung cancer research and treatment. The primary mission of the Oncology Care Committee is to establish the direction of the oncology program at Sunshine Hospital, evaluate the oncology protocols and quality of care using internal and external data, and make recommendations for improvement to meet regulatory and accreditation standards. The Sunshine Hospital cardiology and oncology program are accredited by the Joint Commission (JC) and the Utilization Review Accreditation Commission (URAC). The Hospital has received research funding through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through 2010, and achieved a three-year accreditation with commendation by the Commission on Cancer. Many of the departments which make up the Sunshine Hospital oncology program also have discipline-specific accreditations: • Radiation Oncology – American College of Radiation Oncologists • Radiology – American College of Radiology for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Mammography and Ultrasound • Pathology and Laboratory – College of American Pathologists The primary focus of the Oncology Care Committee is to establish the direction of the oncology program at Sunshine Hospital, evaluate the oncology protocols and quality of care using internal and external