According to the American Cancer Society, about 1.9 million new cancer cases were diagnosed in 2021. Studies show that breast cancer patients in the U.S. have a one in seven chance of missing out on the care they should be getting. This is why it’s crucial to monitor the quality of care received by patients. To get the best care, it’s essential to identify a quality cancer center. Here are some things to look for in a quality cancer center.
1. Structural Quality
When looking for a cancer center, you need to look into the characteristics of its healthcare system that affect its ability to meet the needs of patients. This includes things like clinician characteristics. For instance, are the clinicians board certified, how much experience do they have, and what are their specialties? You must also look into their organizational characteristics. This includes reimbursement methods and staffing patterns. Apart from these factors, a quality cancer treatment center must have structural measures related to treatment quality. This includes the presence of bone marrow transplant units and psychological support services. Structural characteristics are crucial when it comes to the provision of quality care.
2. Process Quality
You must also look into what providers do for their patients and how well they do them. This refers to the technical and interpersonal aspects. Technical processes refer to whether the right choices are made when it comes to the diagnosis and treatment of different types of cancers. Does the hospital have a history of misdiagnosing conditions? The effectiveness of care is usually seen in the number of people who recover. This shows the link between the processes employed by a cancer center and the outcomes. Measurements of process quality include increased life expectancy, decreased anxiety, pain relief, and accurate diagnoses.
3. Outcomes
Outcomes are probably the best measure of a cancer treatment center’s ability to deal with various conditions. The outcome, in this case, refers to the results obtained from a healthcare delivery process. This includes clinical status, consumer satisfaction, and functional status. However, you must also keep in mind that such outcomes may also depend on a variety of other things. For instance, they also depend on patient characteristics and the disease process. The outcome can, therefore, only be associated with quality to the extent that it has been associated with past medical processes in proper studies.
These are some of the things to look for in a cancer treatment center. You must go to a well-staffed center with proper equipment. It also doesn’t hurt to go to one that has had lots of success in the past. Get in touch with us today at Palo Verde Cancer Specialists if you’re looking for a reputable cancer center.
