The Tate Cancer Center at UM BWMC Ranked In Top Tier of Academic Cancer Programs by Commission on Cancer

Three-Year accreditation awarded based on patient access to comprehensive treatments, leading edge technology, and availability of clinical trials.

GLEN BURNIE, Md. (May 6, 2022) — The Tate Cancer Center at the University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center (UM BWMC) has received a national three-year accreditation from the Commission on Cancer (COC) for providing a full spectrum of comprehensive care to patients. This voluntary accreditation program focuses on the delivery of a wide range of patient-centered care, including access to clinical trials, new treatments, genetic counseling, and other patient centered services including psycho-social support and an oncology nutrition services.

"The contributions of the entire Cancer Program helped to achieve Academic Comprehensive Cancer Program Accreditation at this level, even during some of the most challenging years through the peak of the pandemic," said Cherif Boutros, MD, MSc, FACS, FACG, Medical director of the Tate Cancer Center. In addition, Boutros says "The review highlighted strengths of the Cancer Program including multidisciplinary Cancer Case Conferences and Oncology Nutrition Services."

The CoC Accreditation Program provides the framework for the Tate Cancer Center to improve its quality of patient care through various cancer-related programs that focus on the full spectrum of cancer care including prevention, early diagnosis, cancer staging, optimal treatment, rehabilitation, life-long follow-up for recurrent disease and end-of-life care.

Former patient Dottie Cosner said her team of doctors worked together to develop her multidisciplinary care plan during her treatment at the Tate Cancer Center. "My medical oncologist, Dr. Maya Thein, radiation oncologist, Dr. Akshar Patel, and radiation therapists were amazing too. I trusted this team, and I wanted to stay at the Tate Cancer Center throughout my journey," said Cosner.

The Tate Cancer Center's multidisciplinary approach to treating cancer as a complex group of diseases brings together experts in consultation, including surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, diagnostic radiologists, pathologists and other cancer care specialists. This multidisciplinary partnership results in improved patient care. The Tate Cancer Center is also affiliated with the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC), one of the top tier of cancer centers in the country.

"When cancer patients seek care at The Tate Center, they can expect to have access to the highest quality of comprehensive, state-of-the-art care – that is close to home," said Kathy McCollum, President and CEO of UM BWMC. "I am extremely proud of our team members, who work hard to provide kindness, hope and strength during a difficult journey."

Like all CoC-accredited facilities, the Tate Cancer Center 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. CoC-accredited cancer centers, in turn, have access to information derived from this type of data analysis, which is used to create national, regional and state benchmark reports. These reports help CoC facilities with their quality improvement efforts.

About University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center

Located in Glen Burnie, Maryland, UM BWMC is an acute-care facility that is part of the University of Maryland Medical System. The medical center has 285 beds and more than 3,100 team members. It also has 1,200 medical providers on staff in over 50 specialties. For more information, visit www.umbwmc.org.

About the University of Maryland Medical System

The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is a university-based regional health care system focused on serving the health care needs of Maryland, bringing innovation, discovery and research to the care we provide and educating the state's future physician and health care professionals through our partnership with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the UM Schools of Nursing, Pharmacy, Social Work and Dentistry in Baltimore. As one of the largest private employers in the State, the health system's 28,000 employees and 4,000 affiliated physicians provide primary and specialty care in more than 150 locations and at 13 hospitals. UMMS' flagship academic campus, the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore is partnered with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and is recognized regionally and nationally for excellence and innovation in specialized care. Our acute care and specialty rehabilitation hospitals serve urban, suburban and rural communities and are located in 13 counties across the State. For more information, visit www.umms.org.