Sarah Cannon Cancer Center at Centennial Awarded FACT Accreditation

May 12, 2010 - The blood and marrow transplantation (BMT) program at The Sarah Cannon Cancer Center at Centennial has been awarded accreditation in adult allogeneic transplantation by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT).

FACT accreditation is voluntary and involves rigorous documentation, on-site inspections and peer review to demonstrate compliance with the highest standards.

The BMT program at Centennial is already FACT accredited in all other areas—autologous transplants, bone marrow collection, peripheral blood progenitor cell (PBPC) collection and as a processing facility. The most recent honor means Centennial’s program is fully accredited in all of the FACT designations for adult blood and marrow transplantation programs.

“FACT accreditation is another important milestone in the development of our program; it is great to have this external recognition of quality that was already well known to our patients,” said Dr. Ian Flinn, BMT program director.

“This accreditation comes after many months of hard work put forth by our physicians and staff,” said Ryan Simpson, administrator and chief operating officer for The Sarah Cannon Cancer Center and TriStar Oncology Services. “In addition to demonstrating our commitment to the highest quality care, FACT accreditation allows our transplant program to participate in more insurance plans. As a result, we can serve more patients.”

Founded by the American Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and the International Society for Cellular Therapy, FACT is a non-profit foundation for standard-setting, self-assessment, inspection and accreditation in all phases of hematopoietic collection, processing and transplantation.

FACT accreditation is for three years, during which time the program must submit an annual report as well as report any significant changes in procedures, facilities or personnel that may affect the nature or quality of the program.

The BMT program is a joint program between Tennessee Oncology and The Sarah Cannon Cancer Center at Centennial. The facility’s first BMT procedure was performed in January 2007.

The Sarah Cannon Cancer Center has provided tens of thousands of patients in the southeast with life-saving treatments since 1991. Through its partnership with Sarah Cannon Research Institute, provide access to new therapies for cancer patients through clinical trials. To learn more, visit SarahCannon.com or call TriStar MedLine at 615-342-1919.