NewYork-Presbyterian Queens hospital’s Cancer Center in Flushing received the highest level of recognition in June for providing high-quality cancer care for its patients.
Recently, the Commission on Cancer (COC), a program of the American College of Surgeons (ACoS) awarded three-year re-accreditation with Gold Level Commendation to the academic comprehensive cancer program of NewYork-Presbyterian Queens located at 56-45 Main St.
The Outstanding Achievement Award (OAA) is designed to recognize cancer programs that strive for excellence in demonstrating compliance with the COC’s standards for their commitment to ensuring high-quality cancer care.
The NewYork-Presbyterian Queens’ Cancer Center has been under the leadership of Dr. David Fishman, MD, who couldn’t be prouder of his team, which sees and helps treat approximately 1,500 cancer patients a year.
“I’m very proud of the physicians that we have here who are involved in the treatment of patients with the disease — whether it’s surgical or medical,” said Fishman. “I’m very proud of the team of individuals that has allowed us to achieve such a high honor and am very proud of the quality of cancer care. Our care is as good or better than any program in Manhattan, and that’s not my opinion … that’s an opinion from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer. People in Queens can go to Manhattan if they want to, but there’s no need because our care here is as good as any institution in Manhattan, which I am proud of to offer to the people of Queens.”
Cancer patients at the hospital are treated by board certified professionals that follow a core set of quality measures and quality benchmarks when providing care, according to Fishman.
“Anyone who has internet access can see how we are doing compared to other hospitals both locally and nationally that we have the full complement of resources necessary to provide optimal cancer patient care,” said Fishman. “What we’ve truly established here is a comprehensive cancer program that puts the patient and their family as a priority offering care in all measures — not just giving them drugs or operating, but compassionate care, supportive care, palliative care, clergy care and psychological care.”
The center offers programs from dentistry, social work, nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy and every aspect of care that a person who has a chronic disease would benefit from, said Fishman.
“I think the best thing is that the people of Queens have a recognized cancer center that offers the best possible care in New York and that the people of Queens have their own homegrown institution that has been recognized is providing the highest-quality care in the country,” said Fishman. “I’m very proud of the entire team of healthcare professionals that worked so hard to obtain and maintain this honor, and now that we have attained it we want to make sure we maintain it.”
