Baptist Health Program Receives 7th Accreditation

The Ray & Kay Eckstein Regional Cancer Care Center at Baptist Health Paducah opened its doors two years ago this summer, but it houses a cancer program that has been nationally accredited for almost 20 years.

The oncology program recently received its seventh consecutive three-year national accreditation from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer (CoC). Accreditation from the Commission on Cancer means Baptist Health offers a full-service program with excellence in diagnostic and treatment-related services, patient support and community education and outreach. To maintain accreditation, facilities must undergo an on-site review every three years, meet 34 CoC quality care standards and maintain levels of excellence in the delivery of comprehensive patient-centered care.

Like all CoC-accredited facilities, Baptist Health maintains a cancer registry and contributes data to the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB), a joint program of the CoC and American Cancer Society.  This nationwide oncology outcomes database is the largest clinical disease registry in the world.  Data on all types of cancer are tracked and analyzed through the NCDB and used to explore trends in cancer care. 

There are currently more than 1,500 CoC-accredited cancer programs in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. CoC-accredited facilities diagnose and/or treat more than 70 percent of all newly diagnosed patients with cancer.  

"When cancer patients choose to seek care locally at a CoC-accredited cancer center, they are gaining access to comprehensive, state-of-the-art cancer care close to home," said Michael Tutor, executive director of oncology and imaging services at Baptist Health Paducah. "Our staff gives 100 percent each day to guarantee our oncology patients receive the very best care possible."

Baptist Health Paducah celebrated 50 years of cancer care in 2017. The multi-disciplinary program has been nationally accredited since 2001, with the area's only radiation oncology service accredited since 1998. Recent technology upgrades have included da Vinci robotic surgery, 3-D mammography and stereotactic radiosurgery, which can reduce radiation treatment from weeks to days.

The new cancer center, facing Broadway near 24th Street, provides a variety of cancer services in one location. Patients can valet park at the door and get their labs, treatment and needed resources all in one place. For more information about the cancer center, phone 270.575.2780.