Saint Joseph Hospital Receives National Recognition for Cancer Care

LEXINGTON, Ky. (August 7, 2023) – Saint Joseph Hospital has received national recognition for its rectal cancer care services, earning a three-year accreditation from the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons.

Saint Joseph Hospital received this accreditation by demonstrating compliance with the NAPRC standards addressing program management, clinical services and quality improvement for patients. Centers are required to establish a multidisciplinary rectal cancer team that includes clinical representatives from surgery, pathology, radiology, radiation oncology, and medical oncology.

“This recognition from the American College of Surgeons demonstrates our commitment to the highest quality care for the patients we serve,” said Anthony Houston, Ed.D., FACHE, CEO, CHI Saint Joseph Health. “Our dedicated caregivers work tirelessly to meet the rigorous standards required to attain this accreditation. We are proud to be one of only two accredited programs in Kentucky.”

Saint Joseph Hospital met standards addressing the clinical services that the rectal cancer program provides, including Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA testing), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computerized Tomography (CT) imaging for cancer staging which allow patients to start treatment within a defined timeframe.

“Colorectal-related cancers are the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, but our team is working to change that each day,” said John Dvorak, MD, medical director for surgery, Saint Joseph Hospital. “We continue to incorporate innovative technology in screenings and surgeries, including being one of the first in the state to use AI-assisted colonoscopy technology to screen for colon and rectal cancers.”

Rectal cancer programs accredited by the NAPRC undergo a site visit every three years and are also accredited by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer. Accreditation is granted to programs committed to providing the best possible care to patients with rectal cancer. The NAPRC provides the structure and resources to develop and operate a high quality rectal center, and accredited programs follow a model for organizing and managing a rectal center to ensure multidisciplinary, integrated, comprehensive rectal cancer services.

“A cancer diagnosis can be terrifying for patients, and knowing they are getting the highest quality care available is comforting to them,” said Nicolas Burnett, MD, Radiation Oncology medical director, CHI Saint Joseph Health – Cancer Care Center in Lexington. “Through our affiliation with the Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center, a nationally ranked cancer program, and our dedication to providing cutting-edge technology and treatments in Kentucky, our patients can be confident with their care in our hands.”

To learn more about CHI Saint Joseph Health’s cancer care, visit www.chisaintjosephhealth.org/cancer-care.

About CHI Saint Joseph Health

CHI Saint Joseph Health, part of CommonSpirit Health, is one of the largest and most comprehensive health systems in the Commonwealth of Kentucky with 100 locations in 20 counties, including hospitals, physician groups, clinics, primary care centers, specialty institutes, home health agencies and an ambulatory Care Center. The hospitals in CHI Saint Joseph Health are Flaget Memorial Hospital, Saint Joseph Berea, Saint Joseph East, Saint Joseph Hospital, Saint Joseph Jessamine, Saint Joseph London, Saint Joseph Mount Sterling, and Women’s Hospital at Saint Joseph East. In total, the health system serves patients in 35 counties statewide. CHI Saint Joseph Health is dedicated to providing a wide array of services toward a goal of building a healthier future for all. CHI Saint Joseph Health embodies a strong mission and faith-based heritage and works through local partnerships to expand access to care in the communities it serves.

About Saint Joseph Hospital 

Saint Joseph Hospital is a 433-bed hospital located in Lexington, Kentucky. Established in 1877 by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth in Kentucky, the facility serves residents of central and eastern Kentucky and is a nationally recognized tertiary medical center. Saint Joseph Hospital is Lexington’s first hospital. The hospital’s original mission was to provide compassionate care to the poor and underserved – a tradition still carried out today.

About the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer

The NAPRC was developed through a collaboration between the Commission on Cancer (CoC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons, and the Optimizing the Surgical Treatment of Rectal Cancer (OSTRiCh) Consortium, as well as the American College of Radiology (ACR), the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS), and the College of American Pathologists (CAP). The NAPRC is based on successful international models that emphasize program structure, patient care processes, performance improvement, and performance measures. Its goal is to ensure that rectal cancer patients receive appropriate care using a multidisciplinary approach. For more information visit https://www.facs.org/naprc.

About the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer

Established in 1922 by the ACS, the CoC is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to improving patient outcomes and quality of life for cancer patients through standard-setting, prevention, research, education, and the monitoring of comprehensive quality care. For more information on the CoC, visit: https://www.facs.org/quality-programs/cancer/coc.

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