Cancer Accreditations

CHI Memorial has been granted a three-year accreditation with commendation by the American College of Surgeon’s Commission on Cancer (CoC), a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to improving survival and quality of life for cancer patients. CHI Memorial has maintained this voluntary accreditation since 1992, which requires cancer programs to meet 34 CoC quality care standards, be evaluated every three years through a survey process, and maintain levels of excellence in the delivery of comprehensive, patient-centered care.

The three-year CoC accreditation is awarded to cancer centers that exceed national standards and maintain levels of excellence in delivering comprehensive, patient-centered care. To receive accreditation, Rees Skillern Cancer Institute must provide:

• Comprehensive care including a range of state-of-the-art services and equipment
• Multi-specialty team approach to coordinate the best treatment options
• Information about ongoing clinical trials and new treatment options
• Access to cancer-related information, education and support
• Cancer registry that collects data on type and stage of cancers and treatment results and offers lifelong patient follow-up
• Ongoing monitoring and improvement of care
• Quality care close to home

CHI Memorial Rees Skillern Cancer Institute has successfully met the standards of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) APEx - Accreditation Program for Excellence®.  APEx is an accreditation program developed by ASTRO that validates a radiation oncology facility’s excellence in delivering high-quality patient care. The four-year accreditation is effective until August 2025. To date, more than 170 U.S. facilities have earned APEx accreditation, and CHI Memorial is one of only three cancer centers in Tennessee to do so.

Accreditation through APEx is a voluntary and rigorous multi-step process during which a facility’s practices are evaluated using consensus-based standards. The center must demonstrate its safety and quality processes and demonstrate that it adheres to patient-centered care by promoting effective communication, coordinated treatments and strong patient engagement. The APEx accreditation process includes a facility self-assessment as well as a comprehensive onsite facility review by a radiation oncologist and a medical physicist.

The Rees Skillern Cancer Institute offers radiation oncology treatment at CHI Memorial Hospital Chattanooga and CHI Memorial Parkway in Ringgold.  Visit memorial.org/radiation to learn more about CHI Memorial Rees Skillern Cancer Institute’s Radiation Center of Excellence.