The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons granted its national Outstanding Achievement Award to the CaroMont Cancer Program based on the performance of the program during the three year period 2008 – 2011.

There are just over 1500 total accredited cancer programs in the United States. Approximately 500 programs are surveyed each year.

“Of the cancer programs surveyed within the CaroMont cycle, only 13 programs have received the national “Outstanding Achievement Award” for three consecutive surveys (period of 9 straight years),” said Rick Varterasian, Director CaroMont Oncology Services. That represents 2.0 percent of the accredited U.S. programs. The CaroMont Cancer Program on a national level with the Commission on Cancer is in rare company.”

How are Cancer Centers accredited?

Established in 2004, the CoC Outstanding Achievement Award recognizes cancer programs that strive for excellence in providing quality care to cancer patients. The award is granted to facilities that demonstrate a commendation level of compliance with seven standards that represent six areas of cancer program activity: 1) cancer committee leadership; 2) cancer data management; 3) clinical management; 4) research; 5) community outreach; and 6) quality improvement. The level of compliance with these standards is determined during an onsite evaluation by a physician surveyor performed every three years. In addition, facilities must receive a compliance rating for the remaining 29 cancer program standards.

About Accreditation

Receiving CoC Accreditation means a hospital or cancer treatment facility puts quality patient care at the forefront. The extensive team of board certified physicians and specially trained nurses follow a multidisciplinary care model that ensures patients receive care across the continuum—from diagnosis to treatment to support groups—so patients never have to face cancer alone. Approximately 80 percent of all newly diagnosed cancer patients are being treated in CoC-accredited cancer programs.

Like the CoC national recognition, the Cancer Center also celebrated its recent distinction as the only radiation oncology program in the region accredited by the American College of Radiology. And, the reveal of its latest technology, the TrueBeam™ linear accelerator which combines precision and speed to yield positive outcomes, bolsters its cancer program even more.

In August 2012, CaroMont Cancer will be opening a new Cancer Center in Lincoln County.

How can the CaroMont Cancer Center be so optimistic about cancer—one of the most dire challenges any person face?  Because, it rests assured on its benchmarks of excellence. No one wants to learn that they have cancer. It’s gutsy for anyone with cancer to even talk about tomorrow, but if there’s ever a time to be bold and make plans for the future, it’s now.

For more information about the CaroMont Cancer Center, call today at 704-834-3551.

Rick Vartarasian – Director, Oncology Service Line Director

Margie Owenby – Oncology Program Coordinator

Kathleen Besson – VP, Clinical Integration

Dr. Michael Gaslin – Chair, Cancer Committee & Oncology Quality Council

Randy Kelley, President and CEO

Robin Smith – Oncology Clinical Manager

Dr. Robert Doline – Cancer Liaison Physician

About CaroMont Health

A nationally honored health provider, CaroMont Health is promoting a more vibrant community through individual health care. CaroMont offers a network of top resources across five counties, all centered on a state-of-the-art, 435-bed hospital that is ranked among the best in the nation. It is a spectrum of health services that is just the right size to deliver high-quality, individualized care that has been recognized by the following experts:

• CareChex rating service: First in the nation for medical excellence for overall care
• Region’s only  Hospital to receive  North Carolina’s Award for Performance Excellence (Baldrige) 
• Joint Commission: Top Performer on Key Quality Measures for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care.
• A 2011 Top Performing Hospital for providing high quality, efficient care as a part of the Premier healthcare alliance QUEST program.
• Healthgrade Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence™ three years in a row, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

CaroMont Health is located at 2525 Court Drive in Gastonia, N.C., and can be reached at (704) 834-2000. Additional information is available at www.caromonthealth.org.

For more information about CPS-3, please visit www.cancer.org/cps3 or email cps3@cancer.org or call toll-free 1-888-604-5888.

For more information about CPS-3, please visit www.cancer.org/cps3 or email cps3@cancer.org or call toll-free 1-888-604-5888.

For the third time, GMH has been recognized as one of the 100 Top Hospitals. It is the only large community hospital in North Carolina to attain this recognition this year.

The Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals® study evaluates performance in 10 areas: mortality; medical complications; patient safety; average patient stay; expenses; profitability; patient satisfaction; adherence to clinical standards of care; post-discharge mortality; and readmission rates for acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), heart failure, and pneumonia. The study has been conducted annually since 1993.

“It is an honor and a privilege to lead an organization that is committed to delivering the most excellent care possible to its patients,” said Randall Kelley, President and CEO. “This recognition endorses our goal to attain superior clinical results.”

GMH is also a 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospital by Thomson Reuters for being among the nation’s best providers of cardiovascular care making it the only hospital in North Carolina with this designation in 2012. 

To conduct the 100 Top Hospitals study, Thomson Reuters researchers evaluated 2,886 short-term, acute care, non-federal hospitals. They used public information — Medicare cost reports, Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR) data, and core measures and patient satisfaction data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare website. Hospitals do not apply, and winners do not pay to market this honor.

The winning hospitals were announced in the April 16 edition of Modern Healthcare magazine.
“This year, the concentration of 100 Top Hospitals award winners has shifted significantly, with Texas, Florida, and California housing the most winners,” said Jean Chenoweth, senior vice president at Thomson Reuters.  ”A major change in performance geographically is an encouraging indication that the bar for quality care has been raised once again.”

Based on comparisons between the study winners and a peer group of similar high-volume hospitals that were not winners, we found that if all hospitals performed at the level of this year’s winners:

More than 186,000 additional lives could be saved.
Approximately 56,000 additional patients could be complication-free.
More than $4.3 billion could be saved.
The average patient stay would decrease by nearly half a day.

We based this analysis on the Medicare patients included in this study. If the same standards were applied to all inpatients, the impact would be even greater.

More information on this study and other 100 Top Hospitals research is available at www.100tophospitals.com.

About CaroMont Health 
A nationally honored health provider, CaroMont Health is promoting a more vibrant community through individual health care. CaroMont offers a network of top resources across five counties, all centered on a state-of-the-art, 435-bed hospital that is ranked among the best in the nation. It is a spectrum of health services that is just the right size to deliver high-quality, individualized care that has been recognized by the following experts:

CareChex rating service: First in the nation for medical excellence for overall care
Region’s only  Hospital to receive  North Carolina’s Award for Performance Excellence (Baldrige) 
Joint Commission: Top Performer on Key Quality Measures for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care.

A 2011 Top Performing Hospital for providing high quality, efficient care as a part of the Premier healthcare alliance QUEST program.
Healthgrade Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence™ three years in a row, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

CaroMont Health is located at 2525 Court Drive in Gastonia, N.C., and can be reached at (704) 834-2000. Additional information is available at www.caromonthealth.org.

During the course of his training, Dr Kochupura was the winner of numerous awards including qualifying as a finalist for American Heart Association’s “Viven Thomas Young Investigator Award.” Additionally, he is the recipient of three teaching awards during his surgical training, including designation in the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society.
Dr Kochupura then completed his fellowship in Vascular and Endovascular surgery at Atlanta Medical Center in Atlanta, GA under David Rosenthal, MD.

Dr Kochupura practices the full spectrum of Vascular Surgery including both open and catheter based interventions for peripheral vascular disease, cutting edge approaches to venous disease including varicose veins and deep venous thrombosis, carotid disease, endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms, as well as dialysis access and management. He is certified by the American Board of Surgery.

For more information about CaroMont Heart, call 704.83-HEART (704.834.3278) or visit caromonthealth.org.

About CaroMont Health
A nationally honored health provider, CaroMont Health is promoting a more vibrant community through individual health care. CaroMont offers a network of top resources across five counties, all centered on a state-of-the-art, 435-bed hospital that is ranked among the best in the nation. It is a spectrum of health services that is just the right size to deliver high-quality, individualized care that has been recognized by the following experts:

• CareChex rating service: First in the nation for medical excellence for overall care
• Region’s only Hospital to receive North Carolina’s Award for Performance Excellence (Baldrige)
• Joint Commission: Top Performer on Key Quality Measures for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care.
• A 2011 Top Performing Hospital for providing high quality, efficient care as a part of the Premier healthcare alliance QUEST program.
• Healthgrade Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence™ three years in a row, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

CaroMont Health is located at 2525 Court Drive in Gastonia, N.C., and can be reached at (704) 834-2000. Additional information is available at www.caromonthealth.org.

Getting moving during the business day is routine these days for CaroMont Health employees. It’s a way of life. Fifteen months ago, the CaroMont Wellness Team began putting deliberate actions in place to make health and wellness more accessible to employees resulting in being named the number two 2012 ‘Healthiest Employer’ in the Charlotte area by Charlotte Business Journal. The second annual program was conducted by Healthiest Employer, LLC an Indiana limited liability company in association with the American City Business Journals, Inc. Of the 20 employers who participated this year, all had to meet certain qualifications and have proven results to be considered for the award on issues such as the availability of smoking-cessation programs for workers and the use of health screening to identify areas of concern.

“CaroMont Health has been in the wellness business for a little over a year,” said Andrea Serra, VP of Wellness. “We’re quite proud that in that time we have documented results of a healthier workforce. This accomplishment is unheard of and something to celebrate.”

Last year marked a significant ‘journey to health’ when CaroMont’s new Wellness Director led a team of CaroMont employees to improved health focusing on nutrition and healthier food options in the cafeteria, group exercise classes, stress management and relaxation techniques, spiritual development and by and large work-life balance.

“The journey has been incredible,” expressed Debbie Bellenger, Wellness Program Director. “Every day an employee shares a success story with me about how they walked more, ate better, reduced medicines, etc. which spills over to our entire workforce as employees encourage each other. I am anxious to see where we will be at year two, three and beyond!”
What does all this mean?
Based on the annual 2012 Health Risk Assessment (HRA), employees’ overall general health is better as indicated by a 2.3% increase in the number of employees who have two or fewer health risk factors. Moreover, employees are experiencing greater weight loss, improved overall Body Mass Index (BMI) and lowered blood pressure—not to mention, the physical activity levels have gone up with1.4% more people exercising three or more times per week, and 3.6% fewer people not exercising at all.

“Our staff are ready to regain their health,” said Serra. “We are committed to breaking down barriers to good health and making the healthy choice the easiest choice.”

The culture of health continues to evolve every day at CaroMont with the support of the Wellness Team and engagement from senior leadership. In fact, senior leaders have their own ‘Health Revolution’ team which involves a weekly visit from Wellness staff to discuss overall health, weight loss or gain and various health strategies. Among these, was CaroMont’s participation in the March 2012 Corporate Cup Challenge. More than 100 CaroMont employees participated in the Charlotte race placing CaroMont third in the ‘large business division’ and fifth overall.

Part of this journey to better health is creating positive peer pressure and accountability among staff to maintain their new healthy lease on life with buddy walks/runs and group exercise classes at the CaroMont Summit Building.  And, the wellness buzz is making its footprint in the community. CaroMont is taking their formula for health outside of its four walls to the people of our community, and more is yet to come. 

Business as usual? Yes, if it involves health at CaroMont.

For more information about CaroMont Health and Wellness, visit caromonthealth.org or call 704.834.2558. 

About CaroMont Health
A nationally honored health provider, CaroMont Health is promoting a more vibrant community through individual health care. CaroMont offers a network of top resources across five counties, all centered on a state-of-the-art, 435-bed hospital that is ranked among the best in the nation. It is a spectrum of health services that is just the right size to deliver high-quality, individualized care that has been recognized by the following experts:

• CareChex rating service: First in the nation for medical excellence for overall care
• Region’s only  Hospital to receive  North Carolina’s Award for Performance Excellence (Baldrige) 
• Joint Commission: Top Performer on Key Quality Measures for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care.
• A 2011 Top Performing Hospital for providing high quality, efficient care as a part of the Premier healthcare alliance QUEST program.
• Healthgrade Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence™ three years in a row, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

CaroMont Health is located at 2525 Court Drive in Gastonia, N.C., and can be reached at (704) 834-2000. Additional information is available at www.caromonthealth.org.

Ashley received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from The University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and her Masters in Nursing from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She is board certified by the North Carolina Board of Nursing as a Nurse Practitioner. She is accepting patients.

CaroMont Family Medicine—McAdenville offers a complete range of medical services for patients from newborn to geriatric. These services include routine and sports physicals, treatment of sudden illness or injury and some minor surgeries.  It also offers specialty services such as infusion Reclast, Vasectomy and OMT services.

For added convenience to patients, CFM—McAdenville is now offering extended and evening hours Monday – Friday, 5pm to 8 pm; Saturday, 10am to 4pm. The regular practice business hours are Monday – Friday, 8am to 5pm.

Ashley is accepting new patients. For more information or to make an appointment, please call 704.824.5323 or visit caromonthealth.org.

About CaroMont Health
A nationally honored health provider, CaroMont Health is promoting a more vibrant community through individual health care. CaroMont offers a network of top resources across five counties, all centered on a state-of-the-art, 435-bed hospital that is ranked among the best in the nation. It is a spectrum of health services that is just the right size to deliver high-quality, individualized care that has been recognized by the following experts:

• CareChex rating service: First in the nation for medical excellence for overall care
• Region’s only  Hospital to receive  North Carolina’s Award for Performance Excellence (Baldrige) 
• Joint Commission: Top Performer on Key Quality Measures for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care.
• A 2011 Top Performing Hospital for providing high quality, efficient care as a part of the Premier healthcare alliance QUEST program.
• Healthgrade Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence™ three years in a row, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

CaroMont Health is located at 2525 Court Drive in Gastonia, N.C., and can be reached at (704) 834-2000. Additional information is available at www.caromonthealth.org.