Summit Medical Center Receives the Outstanding Achievement Award for Cancer Care

Hermitage, TN May 29, 2008 – The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons recently presented Summit Medical Center with the 2007 Commission on Cancer Outstanding Achievement Award.

Established in 2004, the CoC Outstanding Achievement Award (OAA) is designed to recognize cancer programs that strive for excellence in providing quality care to cancer patients. A facility receives the OAA following the on-site evaluation by a physician surveyor during which the facility demonstrates a Commendation level of compliance with seven standards that represent the full scope of the cancer program (cancer committee leadership, cancer data management, clinical services, research, community outreach, and quality improvement). In addition, the facility receives a compliance rating for the remaining 29 standards. Only 66 programs across the country received the OAA as a result of surveys performed in 2007.

Summit Medical Center is the only hospital in the state of Tennessee to receive the award in 2007, and the first facility in the family of TriStar Health System hospitals to be honored with such a designation.

“Receiving this award shines light on our commitment to provide the highest quality of care possible to our patients,” said Jeff Whitehorn, CEO of Summit Medical Center. “Our facility offers patients the comfort and confidence of knowing they are receiving care through a cancer program that has undergone a rigorous evaluation process and is staffed by team members who strive for excellence.”

Receiving care at a CoC-approved cancer program ensures that a patient will have access to:

• Comprehensive care, including a range of state-of-the-art services and equipment
• A multispecialty, team approach to coordinate the best treatment options
• Information about ongoing clinical trials and new treatment options
• Access to cancer-related information, education and support
• A cancer registry that collects data on type and stage of cancers and treatment results and offers lifelong patient follow up
• Ongoing monitoring and improvement of care
• And most importantly, quality care close to home.

"This honor reflects the commitment of our Oncology Team to provide exceptional care, treatment and education.  We are very proud of our program and our team of caregivers,” said Dr. Eric Raefsky, medical oncologist at Summit Medical Center.

Summit Medical Center is a 188-bed regional medical center serving the residents of Davidson, Wilson and surrounding counties. Summit offers a full range of services including emergency, medical, surgical, obstetric, oncology, psychiatric and diagnostic services.  The hospital also offers the latest advances in imaging services, including the area’s first hospital based 64-slice CT scanner. For more information, visit www.TriStarHealth.com and click on Summit Medical Center.