Cloud Surgical Solutions Press Release

Contact: Chasity Poteat-Lehn
Director of Patient & Physician Relations
828.437.0847

Dr. William Cloud named as liaison to Commission on Cancer

Chicago ­ William G. Cloud, MD, FACS, of Morganton, recently received a three-year appointment as cancer liaison physician for the Cancer Care Program at Grace Hospital. The Cancer Physician Program is an integral part of the Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons.

Dr. Cloud is among a national network of more than 1,600 volunteer cancer liaison physicians who provide leadership and support of the CoC Approvals Program, and other Commission on Cancer activities at their local facility.

Cloud, who has a significant interest in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with malignant diseases, provides direction as a member of the multidisciplinary cancer committee at his institution in order to maintain or seek CoC approval of their cancer program.

The Commission on Cancer is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to reducing the morbidity and mortality of cancer through education, standard setting and monitoring quality of cancer care. Its membership includes Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and 39 national organizations that reflect the full spectrum of cancer care. The Commission’s core functions include setting standards for quality, multidisciplinary cancer patient care and cancer patient data collection at over 1,400 approved facilities to evaluate compliance with the standards and using the data to evaluate hospital provider performance and develop effective education interventions to improve cancer care outcomes at the national, state and local level. Twenty-two percent of the hospitals in the United States have cancer programs approved by the Commission on Cancer and 80 percent of newly diagnosed cancer patients are treated in these institutions.

Cancer Liaison Physicians are responsible for fostering and communicating CoC initiatives at the facility level and for coordinating community outreach activities in conjunction with the cancer committee.

As Community Outreach Coordinator, the Cancer Physician Liaison develops goals for the cancer program to include the provision of support services and prevention and early detection programs to the community; works with the local American Cancer Society on strategies to accomplish community outreach goals and other cancer control projects of interest to the facility; and utilizes facility cancer patient data submitted to the CoC’s National Cancer Database. Data received from the 1,400 plus CoC approved cancer programs are aggregated and reported back to the individual facilities to assist them in studying patterns of care and identifying quality improvement initiatives to address gaps in cancer care.

The Cancer Liaison Physician cooperates regularly with this program in the submission, presentation, use and interpretation of reports. His or her participation in this program and sharing this data with the cancer committee can positively impact cancer patient care at their facility.

In an effort to assist the more than 1.3 million American diagnosed with cancer each year, Cancer Liaison Physicians at CoC approved programs facilitate participation in the Commission’s Facility Information Profile System.

Dr. William Cloud is a board-certified surgeon who has significant experience in cancer and abdominal surgery, and particularly laparoscopic surgery. For more information, please contact Dr. Cloud at (828) 437-0847 or visit www.CloudSurgicalSolutions.com.