Celilo has received the highest-possible rating by the independent organization that surveys and evaluates cancer centers nationwide, The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons. In 2007 Celilo received the maximum three-year accreditation "with commendation."

Celilo's overall approval rating indicates that, after a thorough examination of 36 standards of care and reporting, a CoC surveyor found zero deficiencies.  Approval with commendation is an even loftier citation that means Celilo staff also eclipsed CoC standards in each of nine additional measurements.

Commendation status was given to a minority of cancer centers surveyed that year, and is a rare achievement for a center being surveyed for the first time. This level of approval by the nation's leading organization dedicated to improving survival and quality of life for cancer patients validates years of work by MCMC administration and Celilo staff to create a state-of-the-art, and truly unique, regional cancer center.

The CoC Approvals Program is concerned with five general program elements that it considers critical to ensuring the highest standards of patient care.  They are:

• The center's clinical services provide state-of-the-art pretreatment evaluation, staging, treatment and clinical follow-up for cancer patients.
• The center is led by a cancer committee that sets goals, monitors activity, evaluates patient outcomes and improves care.
• The center's cancer conferences (called tumor boards at Celilo and other centers) provide a forum for patient consultation and contribute to physician education.
• A quality improvement program is the mechanism for evaluating and improving patient outcomes.
• The cancer registry and database is the basis for monitoring the quality of care.

Through the extensive application and on-site survey, the CoC is able to determine the extent a cancer center is meeting or exceeding its standards in each of these areas.

According to the Commission on Cancer, by choosing an Accredited Cancer Program like Celilo Cancer Center, you will receive:

• Comprehensive cancer care and services
• A multi-specialty team-approach to treatment
• Clinical trials information
• Access to cancer-related information, education and support
• And, most importantly, “quality cancer care close to home.”

Commission on Cancer Outstanding Achievement Award

After receiving the maximum three-year accreditation with commendation that Celilo received in mid-2007, the center and its staff were honored with the Commission on Cancer’s (CoC) elite New Program Outstanding Achievement Award (OAA).

The award was designed to recognize cancer programs that strive for excellence in providing quality care to cancer patients by exceeding CoC standards in 36 different quality measurements. Only 15 percent (12) of the programs surveyed in 2007 were New Program OAA recipients.

The OAA is only the latest demonstration of the level of quality care provided at Celilo.

The impressive team that has assembled at Celilo has brought to patients a level of expertise not often found in a community the size of The Dalles.  It has helped Celilo become accredited as a center for clinical research, enabling patients to participate in and benefit from studies of new treatments that contribute to the knowledge of, and progress against, cancer.

Staff expertise was one of many factors that has helped Celilo earn the CoC’s highest possible rating, Accreditation with Commendation, and the prestigious New Program Outstanding Achievement Award.