Memphis, (February 18 2008) – The West Clinic, one of the nation’s premier centers for oncology, hematology, radiology, and other advanced medical care was named best clinical practice in America by Hematology & Oncology News & Issues (HONI) in its February 15 th issue. The West Clinic’s recognition for practice excellence among large oncology practices was announced by HONI as it introduced the first recipients of the HOPE™ (Hematology & Oncology Practice Excellence) initiative. The three-year HOPE™ initiative has been created to encourage the development of practice standards of excellence in community-based cancer treatment centers. It is anticipated that this three-year initiative will help reshape community-based oncology practices of the future.
HOPE™ recognizes those practices that exhibit practice excellence through an identifiable and quantifiable set of metrics which can be applied as business practice guidelines. Recipients of the HOPE™ award are selected by a panel of HONI Editorial Advisory Board members, an elite panel of oncology experts recognized nationwide. According to Lee S. Schwartzberg, Medical Director, The West Clinic, “We are very pleased that a group of our peers determined that The West Clinic is the best clinical practice in the US .”
Commitment to Practice Excellence & EMR
The West Clinic was selected based on practice excellence as it employs dozens of mechanisms and processes to ensure clinical excellence. All treatments are guided by an extensive process of established evidenced-based treatment protocols (ETP). The clinic has fully implemented electronic medical records ( EMR ) across its enterprise.
As a comprehensive cancer center with six locations throughout the Mid-South, The West Clinic currently has 30 physicians and more than 300 employees. According to Steve Coplon , CEO , “It is indeed a great honor for The West Clinic to receive Hematology & Oncology News & Issues HOPE™ award. We regularly remind ourselves, internally, ‘We don’t have to be the biggest, but we must be the best.’ This is a reflection of the passion we have to ensure that every cancer patient we treat is provided the absolute best care throughout their entire cancer care experience.”
A Leader in Clinical Research
One of HOPE™ award’s major criteria for consideration was practice methodology for running a clinical research program. The West Clinic is an internationally noted leader in clinical research as evidenced by its participation in over 50 clinical trials annually. The clinic has also been a clinical trial site for approximately 25 years establishing standards of care and discovering novel molecules. In (2001), The West Clinic established a sister company, Accelerated Community Oncology Research Network, Inc. (ACORN), a network of over 30 progressive community oncology practices throughout the U.S. providing patients access to the most promising clinical trials available anywhere.
It is anticipated that through the HOPE™ initiative practices demonstrating excellence in community-based cancer care and sharing their experiences will help to improve the delivery of cancer care nationwide.