At Maimonides, patient safety and quality of care are top of mind for our providers. Achieving accreditations in our programs is one way we help our patients to have peace of mind, knowing they are in the best hands for the care they need. Our clinicians take pride in knowing they are voluntarily upholding and remaining accountable to the standards of care set by the nation’s most authoritative clinical groups across the wide variety of disciplines offered here.
In Brooklyn, all accreditation roads for oncology lead to Maimonides Cancer Center. We are Brooklyn’s first fully accredited cancer center, and our recent accreditations expand our decade-long reputation as an oncology leader.
“Our accreditations demonstrate that at the Cancer Center, we’re providing the utmost level of care at the highest standard,” says David Berlach, MD, Chair of Radiation Oncology at Maimonides Medical Center. “It shows our patients and referring providers that we’re doing things right, and it also shows that we’re constantly learning and improving.”
Latest Accreditations
In the past several months, Maimonides’ expertise and development of our cancer programs has earned us several new and renewed accreditations.
“If you’re a physician looking to refer your patients for oncology care, our numerous accreditations will definitely make you feel more comfortable,” Dr. Berlach says. “You can feel confident that you’re sending your patients to a place that has been thoroughly checked and approved.”
Our recent accolades highlight our leading-edge oncology services and our high level of multidisciplinary collaboration:
Overall Cancer Care: In January, we earned re-accreditation from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer. This designation highlights our patient-centered approach to care and the variety of available patient services, including clinical trials, genetic counseling, rehabilitation, screenings, and survivorship programs.
Breast Cancer: Maimonides is Brooklyn’s only full-service breast care facility. In June, we were recognized as one of the only centers in the nation to earn full accreditation from the American College of Surgeons National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC). Our Erminia Rivera Breast Imaging Center of Excellence is a trailblazer for breast screening, diagnostic imaging, and advanced image-guided biopsy.
Lung Cancer: In May 2024, we earned our designation as a Lung Cancer Screening Center from the American College of Radiology. This recognition acknowledges our state-of-the-art CT scanners and our staff’s expertise with these screenings.
Patient Safety and Quality: In October, Maimonides earned its sixth re-certification from The Joint Commission, confirming we have fulfilled all requirements to protect the safety of our patients and providers while delivering the highest quality care.
Colorectal Cancer: Maimonides is embarking on the accreditation process for colorectal cancer care. We expect to receive this recognition from the American College of Surgeons National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer by the end of 2024.
Increasing Access to High-Quality Care
Accreditations are a testament that Maimonides invests in delivering the highest quality care, fulfilling a lengthy list of requirements for each program’s validation. We spend several years gathering performance and outcomes data before completing in-person or virtual evaluations that can last up to a week.
But these accolades do more than announce our current capabilities. They also push us to work harder and continue to expand the services we provide, Dr. Berlach says.
“Earning these awards reveals our strengths and what we already do well. But it also identifies our blind spots,” he says. “It shows us where we need to focus our energies in terms of improving. We discover how other institutions provide cancer care and determine how we can do things better. It keeps us vigilant.”
In many ways, the accreditation process is like continuing medical education for providers, he adds. Preparing for each accreditation review takes years, and it gives us the opportunity to learn and incorporate leading-edge policies and protocols.
Care That’s Ahead of the Curve
Our Cancer Center leaders work hard to ensure we fulfill the ever-changing qualification requirements for each accreditation. In some ways, though, we’re a trailblazer. Dr. Berlach says we have launched several initiatives that make us the leader of the pack in improving healthcare quality.
“We’re way ahead of the curve in many ways,” he says. “For new accreditation requirements and those that currently aren’t considered in these evaluations, we’re definitely out ahead.”
These efforts include:
Breast Cancer Survivorship: Several years ago, the NAPBC announced breast cancer survivorship programs would be a new accreditation requirement. Maimonides led the way — our leaders already had designs for a program and plans to hire a nurse to lead the initiative.
Radiation and Surgical Technology: Our radiation oncologists are at the forefront of using new technologies. To enhance our accreditation efforts around patient care, they routinely use intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and brachytherapy. Our surgeons utilize wireless technology to locate breast tumor, making removal more efficient and simplified.
Tumor Board Software: Although it’s not an accreditation requirement, our oncologists use NAVIFY Tumor Board Solution, a tumor board-specific software, to streamline multidisciplinary collaborations and conversations. This tool integrates with the electronic health record and makes accessing previous discussions and recommendations for individual patient cases easier.
Dr. Berlach says that Maimonides pursues and earns accreditations to inspire greater confidence in our wide range of oncology services.
“We strive to achieve these accreditations. And it’s something we do easily because everyone works hard and cares about our patients. We want to achieve these accreditations to prove to the patients and ourselves that we’re as good as we can be,” he says. “We consistently hit it out of the park in the Cancer Center.”
To learn more about Maimonides Cancer Center or to refer a patient, call 718-765-2500 or visit https://maimo.org/treatments-care/cancer-center/.
