JACKSONVILLE, FL (PRWEB) SEPTEMBER 23, 2015 -- The American College of Radiology (ACR) has awarded a three-year term of accreditation in radiation oncology to the University of Florida Health Proton Therapy Institute. It is awarded to facilities that meet or exceed national standards in radiation oncology. Of the 17 proton therapy centers in the U.S., UF Health Proton Therapy Institute is one of three proton therapy facilities to earn the ACR seal of accreditation, representing the highest level of quality and patient safety.

The accreditation means that personnel are qualified through education and certification to administer radiation therapy. Furthermore, it means the equipment is appropriate for delivering radiation therapy and meets or exceeds national standards for safety and quality assurance.

“Our goal is to deliver safe, effective cancer treatment to patients using proton therapy,” said Nancy P. Mendenhall, M.D., medical director of the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute and associate chair and professor of radiation oncology at UF. “Being part of an academic health center and a Florida Cancer Center of Excellence, we opened our doors for an objective and rigorous peer review by ACR. We are honored to have earned this distinction, and I commend our staff for their commitment to excellence.”
UF Health Proton Therapy Institute was recognized earlier this year among the first four Florida Cancer Centers of Excellence designated by the Florida Department of Health. The designation means that treatment centers demonstrate excellence in patient-centered coordinated cancer care.

The ACR is the nation’s oldest and most widely accepted radiation oncology accrediting body, with over 600 accredited sites, and 27 years of accreditation experience. The ACR seal of accreditation is awarded only to facilities meeting specific Practice Guidelines and Technical Standards developed by ACR after a peer-review evaluation by board-certified radiation oncologists and medical physicists who are experts in the field. Patient care and treatment, patient safety, personnel qualifications, adequacy of facility equipment, quality control procedures, and quality assurance programs are assessed. The findings are reported to the ACR Committee on Radiation Oncology Accreditation, which subsequently provides the practice with a comprehensive report they can use for continuous practice improvement.

The UF Health Proton Therapy Institute, opened August 14, 2006, in Jacksonville, Fla., is a cancer treatment facility that uses the most advanced technology available to treat and cure cancer. Proton therapy delivers a precise radiation treatment while destroying cancer cells and minimizing damage to healthy tissue. That reduces side effects and lessens the risk of developing complications from treatment in later life. It is especially beneficial for treating cancer in children and adults with cancers in sensitive areas like the head, neck, lung, breast, brain and prostate.

UF Health Proton Therapy Institute is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization affiliated with the UF College of Medicine and the UF Health Cancer Center, a Florida Cancer Center of Excellence, dedicated to delivering state-of-the-art cancer treatment and setting new standards for treating and curing cancer. The cancer treatment facility houses both conventional radiation and proton therapy, and delivers proton therapy to 100 patients a day. For more information about the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute, please visit http://www.floridaproton.org, or call toll-free 877-686-6009.

The ACR is a national professional organization serving more than 36,000 diagnostic/interventional radiologists, radiation oncologists, nuclear medicine physicians, and medical physicists with programs focusing on the practice of medical imaging and radiation oncology and the delivery of comprehensive health care services.

Media Contact: Theresa Makrush
o: (904) 798-3199; m: (904) 505-6157
tmakrush(at)shepherdagency(dot)com

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