The UMC Cancer Center recently received national recognition from the National Pancreas Foundation (NPF) as a Pancreatic Center of Excellence. This means that the UMC Cancer Center is now one of only 161 centers in the nation, highlighting our exceptional quality in addressing pancreas disease, and giving our community one more reason to trust UMC as their home for the very best cancer treatment.
According to the NPF, National Pancreas Foundation Centers of Excellence are at premier healthcare facilities that focus on multidisciplinary treatment of pancreas disease, treating the “whole patient” with a focus on the best possible outcomes and improved quality of life. The program’s catalyst emerged from the patients’ need to find specialists in the field of pancreas disease. “We receive calls and emails every week from patients who need to find a physician that specializes in pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer,” said Jane Holt, co-founder. “Not only do we guide them to a specialist that can help with diagnosis, but NPF Centers of Excellence can help with pain management, nutrition information, surgery, and psychosocial support. Our objective is to have the best patient outcomes, which means treating the ‘whole patient.”
There are inconsistencies in the level of care they receive for people coping with pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. The NPF Centers designation will help facilitate the development of high-quality, multidisciplinary care approaches for the field. Designated centers will also seek to advance research and lead the way for heightened awareness and understanding of pancreatitis and related conditions among community physicians, allied health professionals, patients, families, and the general public.
Approved NPF Centers like UMC’s underwent an extensive auditing process and met the criteria developed by a task force composed of subject matter experts and patient advocates. The criteria include required expert physician specialties such as gastroenterologists, pancreas surgeons, and interventional radiologists, along with more patient-focused programs such as a pain management service, psychosocial support, and more.
For more information on developments at our Cancer Center, and the amazing work Team UMC does every day to fight cancer, read “The Future of Cancer Treatment at UMC.”