Center Lauded for ‘Significantly’ Exceeding Standards

ANNAPOLIS, MD (July 29, 2010) — The Breast Center at the AAMC Geaton and JoAnn DeCesaris Cancer Institute has been granted a three-year/Full accreditation designation by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), a program administered by the American College of Surgeons.

Accreditation by the NAPBC is given only to those centers that have voluntarily committed to provide the highest level of quality breast care and that undergo a rigorous evaluation process and review of their performance.  The center must demonstrate compliance with standards established by the NAPBC for treating women who are diagnosed with the full spectrum of breast disease.

“We believe strongly in the talents and capabilities of our entire health care team and in our ability to provide the very best breast health care to our community of women,” said Lorraine Tafra, M.D., breast surgeon and medical director of the Breast Center. “This accreditation validates that great care, and the Center’s regional and national standing as a leader in breast care.

The standards include proficiency in the areas of: center leadership, clinical management, research, community outreach, professional education, and quality improvement.  A breast center that achieves NAPBC accreditation has demonstrated a firm commitment to offer its patients every significant advantage in their battle against breast disease, according to the NAPBC.

In its evaluation of the breast center, the NAPBC noted that “the clinical research initiative, high risk patient evaluation and management and patient support services significantly EXCEED the applicable NAPBC standards and, as such, represent an example of clinical ‘best practices’.”

Receiving care at a NAPBC-accredited center ensures that a patient will have access to:

• Comprehensive care, including a full range of state-of-the-art services
• A multidisciplinary team approach to coordinate the best treatment options
• Information about ongoing clinical trials and new treatment options
• The highest possible quality of breast care.

Earlier this year, the AAMC Breast Center moved into a new, 11,000-square foot location in the hospital’s new Health Sciences Pavilion, adjacent to the Anne Arundel Diagnostics Breast Imaging Center of Excellence.

About the AAMC Breast Center (www.aahs.org/cancer)
The AAMC Breast Center, which opened in 1995, features a multidisciplinary group of physicians, including fellowship-trained breast surgeons and a medical breast physician specialist, and a team of nurse navigators and staff. The center’s staff offers a  comprehensive range of programs, including prevention and high-risk assessment, education and outreach, treatment, diagnostics, research, rehabilitation, reconstructive surgery, survivorship and supportive care.

About the NAPBC (www.accreditedbreastcenters.org)
The NAPBC is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to the improvement of the quality of care and monitoring of outcomes of patients with diseases of the breast.  This mission is pursued through standard-setting, scientific validation, and patient and professional education.  Its board membership includes professionals from 15 national organizations that reflect the full spectrum of breast care.