Penrose Hospital Recognized as a Rectal Cancer Center of Excellence

December 8, 2021

Only Rectal Cancer Center of Excellence in Colorado

(COLO. SPRINGS, COLO.) Centura Health, the region’s health care leader, is honored to announce that Penrose Hospital has earned a three-year accreditation from the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons. Currently, Penrose Hospital is the first and only Rectal Cancer Center of Excellence in Colorado.

To achieve voluntary NAPRC accreditation, a rectal cancer center must demonstrate compliance with the NAPRC standards addressing program management, clinical services, and quality improvement for patients. Centers are required to establish a multidisciplinary rectal cancer team that includes clinical representatives from surgery, pathology, radiology, radiation oncology, and medical oncology.

“We represent the highest quality of care for patients with rectal cancer. We have dedicated physicians who are part of multidisciplinary team who walk with patients through every step of the process. This accreditation increases life span and survival. It’s a marathon treatment and we want to make it easier for every patient,” said Benjamin Delano, MD, FACS, FASCRS. Dr. Delano is the only fellowship trained rectal cancer physician in Colorado Springs and he cares for patients at Penrose Hospital.

According to Eric Koval, director of Oncology, this accreditation means patients get the best, fastest and most reliable rectal cancer care in the state. He also said it’s one of the more rigorous accreditations you can receive in field of Oncology. “We rallied as a team to accomplish this for our patients.”

Rectal cancer programs accredited by the NAPRC undergo a site visit every three years and are also accredited by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer. Accreditation by the NAPRC is granted only to those programs that are committed to providing the best possible care to patients with rectal cancer.

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