Radiation Oncology Facilities Served by The Oregon Clinic Receive ACR Accreditation

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

The Oregon Clinic

Patients of The Oregon Clinic Radiation Oncology (in partnership with Providence Health & Services) can be certain they are receiving the highest level of care available in Portland. Earlier this year, all three radiation oncology facilities served by The Oregon Clinic—Providence Portland Medical Center, Providence St. Vincent Medical Center, and Clackamas Radiation Oncology Center—were awarded a three-year term of accreditation by the American College of Radiology (ACR). The efforts to earn ACR accreditation were championed by The Oregon Clinic and required collaboration with the Providence team, and now these three facilities are the only radiation oncology locations in Portland to achieve ACR accreditation.

“Our program philosophy is to provide the safest and highest-quality services to our patients. As part of our continuing commitment to excellence, The Oregon Clinic asked the ACR to objectively evaluate our program,” said David Gannett, MD, medical director for The Oregon Clinic Radiation Oncology. “It was only with the close collaboration and hard work of our physicians together with the radiation oncology professionals at the Providence locations that we were able to achieve this prestigious designation and go above and beyond to ensure the quality of our patient care.”

Radiation oncology (radiation therapy or radiotherapy) is the careful use of high-energy radiation to treat cancer. A radiation oncologist may use radiation to cure cancer or to relieve a cancer patient’s pain. In some cases, radiation oncology is used to treat benign conditions; usually characterized by uncontrolled growth of cells that are not truly malignant (they lack the ability to spread or metastasize), but can still do harm simply by benign overgrowth.

The ACR is the nation’s oldest and most widely accepted radiation oncology accrediting body, with over 500 accredited sites, and 25 years of accreditation experience. The ACR seal of accreditation represents the highest level of quality and patient safety. Patient care and treatment, patient safety, personnel qualifications, adequacy of facility equipment, quality control procedures, and quality assurance programs are all assessed. Accreditation is awarded only to facilities meeting specific practice guidelines and technical standards developed by ACR after a peer-review evaluation by board-certified radiation oncologists and medical physicists who are experts in the field.

About The Oregon Clinic Radiation Oncology

The Oregon Clinic Radiation Oncology uses a team-oriented approach combined with the latest technological advances to provide the most effective treatment plan available to patients with cancer. We work closely with surgeons, medical oncologists, and primary care physicians to help our patients understand their disease and support them through their treatment. The Oregon Clinic provides services at the only ACR-accredited radiation oncology facilities in Portland (in partnership with Providence Health & Services). Patients and referring physicians may call (503) 935-8000 or go online for more information.