For the seventh consecutive year, the UC Breast Cancer Center has received annual re-accreditation as a “Certified Quality Breast Center of Excellence” by the National Quality Measures for Breast Centers (NQMBC) Program, the program’s highest designation for excellence.
NQMBC is provided under the umbrella of the National Consortium of Breast Centers, which aims to improve the quality of breast health care provided by professionals to their patients.
UC Health is among 119 centers across the U.S. to participate in the program and among just 19 centers in the U.S. to achieve the “Center of Excellence” distinction. NQMBC is a voluntary quality program that identifies quality of care measures, provides immediate access to quality information and allows breast centers to compare their performance with other centers across the U.S.
In addition to the NQMBC accreditation, the UC Cancer Center is also accredited by the American College of Radiology and the American College of Surgeons National Accreditation for Breast Programs.
“The mission of our UC Cancer Center Comprehensive Breast Cancer Center is to provide state-of-the art, personalized breast care,” said Elyse Lower, MD, director of the Breast Cancer Center, professor in the UC Department of Internal Medicine and a UC Health oncologist.
“This national achievement represents a multispecialty effort across many disciplines including breast imaging, pathology, as well as medical, radiation, and surgical oncology and the supportive services of navigation, genetics, clinical trials, lymphedema management, integrative oncology, social work, nutritional and financial counseling. I am very proud of our team’s success in receiving national commendation in providing quality, comprehensive care to our patients,” Lower said.
At the UC Breast Cancer Center, a board-certified multidisciplinary team—comprised of breast radiologists, medical oncologists, dedicated breast pathologists, radiation oncologists, plastic and reconstructive surgeons, fellowship-trained surgical oncologists and a highly experienced oncology nursing staff—meets weekly to discuss individualized treatment plans for patients.
“I am proud to be a part of this highly qualified team of breast experts combining our knowledge to benefit our patients. We know that by coming together as a team, we are able to accomplish so much more–and the real winners are our patients,” said Mary C. Mahoney, MD, Benjamin Felson Endowed Chair and Professor in the Department of Radiology at the UC College of Medicine and chief of imaging services for UC Health.
As Greater Cincinnati’s academic health system, the experts at the UC Breast Cancer Center also conduct scientific and clinical research and teach the next generation of medical professionals.