American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer  (ACOS-CoC) Liaison Report - September 2006

CoC Education Opportunities

The Commission on Cancer is offering two educational opportunities worth noting.  An "Advanced" Survey Savvy Workshop is going to be offered December 4 - 5 in Chicago.  The new program entitled, Survey Savvy:  Beyond Compliance, reflects current standards and information found in Cancer Program Standards 2004, Revised Edition.  The focus will be on using and customizing best practice examples that go beyond basic compliance with the CoC standards.  It is not a step-by-step review of each standard as the general Survey Savvy Workshop is.  It is intended for cancer program staff who are already well acquainted with the standards and want to focus on select standards only and gain more from their compliance. More information will be forth coming on registration details in the coming weeks and can be found at http://www.facs.org/cancer/index.html.   Space is always limited at their workshops and they do fill up quickly.  

The Commission on Cancer offers an Online Education Center that provides educational programs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Topics range from preparing for survey to learning how to create and make optimal use of customized NCDB benchmark reports.  For a small fee you have a wealth of information at your fingertips and can view each one-hour slide presentation with accompanying audio and written transcript.  A post-test can be taken to earn educational credit.  In the days of soaring airline prices and limited staff resources, this is an excellent way to access relevant information through an affordable and convenient means.  To learn more about the Online Education Center go to http://www.facs.org/cancer/webcast/index.html.

The ACoS-CoC Report was prepared by ACOA/ACoS-CoC liaison, Jeannie O’Leary.  Her role as liaison is to enhance our relationship and collaboration by providing a forum for the exchange of ideas, initiatives, critical issues, and actions that impact cancer care, data collection, and research.  We have the opportunity to bring matters of importance for ACOA to the CoC, as well as communicate CoC activities to the ACOA.  If you have input on particular issues regarding credentialing and ACoS standards, please contact Jeannie O’Leary.