Community Oncology Practice Only APEx Accredited Radiation Oncology
Treatment Center in Arizona
PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Arizona
Oncology, one of the largest medical groups in Arizona and a
practice in The
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US Oncology Network, has demonstrated compliance with the standards
of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Accreditation
Program for Excellence (APEx®), effective May 1, 2017 for a
four-year accreditation of its radiation oncology services. APEx is an
independent radiation oncology practice accreditation program developed
by ASTRO based on a comprehensive set of sixteen evidence-based
standards of radiation oncology practice. The sixteen standards are
focused on five pillars of patient care:
The process of care
The radiation oncology team
Safety
Quality management
Patient-centered care
“Arizona Oncology is pleased to receive APEx accreditation at our Arizona
Oncology Radiation Treatment Centers in Phoenix from the premier
radiation oncology society in the world, ” said Jerry
Lucas, MD, radiation oncologist, Arizona Oncology. “Evaluating our
processes in relation to ASTRO’s high standards, including standards for
safety and quality, validates our practices and recognizes the efforts
of our radiation oncology team to deliver patient-centered radiation
oncology care.”
Accreditation through APEx is a rigorous, voluntary, multi-step process
that can take up to one year to complete. Each center seeking APEx
accreditation must have its policies and procedures evaluated using
objective, verifiable expectations for performance in radiation
oncology. It must demonstrate its commitment to high standards of safety
and quality in the practice of radiation oncology and that it practices
patient-centered care by promoting effective communication, coordinating
treatment, and engaging patients and their families as partners in care.
APEx has a distinctive program structure that includes
both a self-assessment process and a facility visit conducted by a
medical physicist and a radiation oncologist, radiation therapist,
nurse, dosimetrist, nurse practitioner, physician assistant or practice
administrator. APEx integrates Maintenance of Certification (MOC)
templates that promote value and efficiency for physicians and final
evaluation reports that link standards and performance to quality
improvement resources. APEx applicants also have access to a library of
quality improvement practice management tools to facilitate a culture of
safety. APEx reflects competencies and practices identified and endorsed
in the 2012 ASTRO publication Safety
is No Accident: A Framework for Quality Radiation Oncology and Care.
“ASTRO is proud to recognize Arizona Oncology for achieving APEx accreditation,”
said ASTRO Chair David C. Beyer, MD, FASTRO. “Arizona Oncology has
demonstrated a commitment to providing their patients with safe,
high-quality radiation therapy services.”
About Arizona Oncology
Arizona Oncology is one of the largest medical groups in Arizona. With
more than 75 practicing physicians devoted exclusively to providing
comprehensive, compassionate and high-quality cancer care, Arizona
Oncology specializes in Medical, Gynecologic and Radiation Oncology,
Hematology, Stem Cell Transplant, Research, Genetic Risk Assessment and
patient ancillary programs. The physicians and their staff treat
patients in many communities throughout the state including: Deer
Valley, East Valley (Tempe), Estrella, Flagstaff, Glendale, Green
Valley, Nogales, Peoria, Phoenix, Prescott Valley, Safford, Scottsdale,
Sedona, and Tucson.
Arizona Oncology believes it is beneficial to provide cancer therapies
in a community setting, close to patients' homes and support systems.
The physicians are supported by a talented clinical team sensitive to
the needs of cancer patients and their caregivers. For more information,
visit ArizonaOncology.com.
Arizona Oncology is an affiliate of The US Oncology Network (“The
Network”). This collaboration unites Arizona Oncology with more
than 1,400 independent physicians dedicated to delivering value-based,
integrated care for patients — close to home. Through The Network, these
independent doctors come together to form a community of shared
expertise and resources dedicated to advancing local cancer care and to
delivering better patient outcomes. The US Oncology Network is supported
by McKesson
Specialty Health, whose coordinated resources and infrastructure
allow doctors in The Network to focus on the health of their patients,
while McKesson focuses on the health of their practices. Arizona
Oncology also participates in clinical trials through US
Oncology Research, which has played a role in nearly 70 FDA-approved
cancer therapies, approximately one-third of all cancer therapies
approved by the FDA to date. For more information, visit www.usoncology.com.
About ASTRO
ASTRO is the premier radiation oncology society in the world, with more
than 10,000 members who are physicians, nurses, biologists, physicists,
radiation therapists, dosimetrists and other health care professionals
who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As the
leading organization in radiation oncology, the Society is dedicated to
improving patient care through professional education and training,
support for clinical practice and health policy standards, advancement
of science and research, and advocacy. ASTRO publishes three medical
journals, International Journal of Radiation Oncology • Biology •
Physics (www.redjournal.org),
Practical Radiation Oncology (www.practicalradonc.org)
and Advances in Radiation Oncology (www.advancesradonc.org);
developed and maintains an extensive patient website, RT Answers (http://www.rtanswers.org);
and created the Radiation Oncology Institute (www.roinstitute.org),
a nonprofit foundation to support research and education efforts around
the world that enhance and confirm the critical role of radiation
therapy in improving cancer treatment. To learn more about ASTRO, visit www.astro.org.
Contacts
Arizona Oncology
Amy Magaziner, 480-789-2986
or
The
US Oncology Network
Claire Crye, 281-825-9927