NUMC’S MITCHELL KARTEN, MD,APPOINTED TO AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS COMMISSION ON CANCER, AS CANCER LIAISON PHYSICIAN
August 11, 2008
Contact: Shelley Lotenberg
(516) 572-6055
shelley@numc.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NUMC’S MITCHELL KARTEN, MD,
APPOINTED TO AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS COMMISSION ON CANCER, AS CANCER LIAISON PHYSICIAN
Responsible for providing leadership and direction to NUMC’s cancer program, which is accredited by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer
East Meadow, New York….Mitchell Karten, MD, Director of NUMC’s Radiation Oncology Division, recently received a three-year appointment as Cancer Liaison Physician for the cancer program at Nassau University Medical Center. Cancer Liaison Physicians are an integral part of cancer programs accredited by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer (CoC).
In congratulating Dr. Karten on receiving this appointment, Arthur A. Gianelli, President/CEO of the Nassau Health Care Corporation said: “Dr. Karten is among a national network of over 1,600 volunteer physicians who are responsible for providing leadership and direction to establish, maintain and support their facilities’ cancer program. Dr. Karten, who has a significant interest in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with malignant diseases, is a member of the multidisciplinary cancer committee at Nassau University Medical Center, an institution dedicated to facilitating the delivery of comprehensive quality cancer care.”
Cancer Liaison Physicians are responsible for spearheading CoC initiatives within their cancer program, collaborating with local agencies, such as the American Cancer Society (ACS) and facilitating quality improvement initiatives utilizing data submitted to the CoC National Cancer Database (NCDB). The CoC collects data from its approved cancer programs and provides tools back to these facilities to facilitate the analysis of patterns of diagnosis and treatment. Analyzing and sharing these data with the cancer committee can have a positive impact on cancer patient care at the facility.
The Commission on Cancer is a consortium of 42 professional organizations dedicated to improving the survival and quality of life for cancer patients. The Commission’s core functions include establishing standards to ensure the delivery of quality multidisciplinary, and comprehensive cancer care in health care settings; surveying facilities to assess compliance with those standards; collecting standardized data from accredited facilities to measure quality; using data to monitor treatment patterns, support cancer control, and enhance clinical surveillance activities; and developing effective educational interventions to improve outcomes at the national, state and local level.