FORT WORTH, Texas — Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth recently earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval^® for Brain Tumor Certification.

In 2016, Texas Health Fort Worth was the first hospital in the state to have its brain tumor program certified by The Joint Commission.

An estimated 1 million people in the U.S. are living with a brain tumor, but fortunately more than 70% are noncancerous.

For the past eight years, the program has offered necessary resources to high-acuity neurological patients.

“This certification continues to highlight the dedication and tireless work ethic of our employees and physicians on the Texas Health Fort Worth medical staff,” said Joseph DeLeon, Texas Health Fort Worth president. “We’ll continue to strive for excellence and offer quality care — not for recognition but a commitment to doing the right thing for our patients.”

During a rigorous visit last month, The Joint Commission reviewed Texas Health Fort Worth’s clinical practice guidelines and performance measures. Several forms of treatment are offered through the brain tumor program, such as radiation therapy, chemotherapy, radiosurgery, image-guided neurosurgery and cranial-based surgical procedures, a subspecialty within neuroscience care.

The National Brain Tumor Society estimates 1 million people in the U.S. are living with a brain tumor. More than 70% of those patients have noncancerous tumors, but unfortunately, 28% are malignant, said Adrian Harvey, D.O., Texas Health Fort Worth’s brain tumor program medical director and a member of the North Texas Neurosurgical and Spine Center, a Texas Health Physicians Group practice*.

“The brain tumor program at Texas Health Fort Worth provides patients with critical resources, before, during and after treatment,” Harvey said. “It’s great to be a certified brain tumor program, but more importantly, witnessing patients living with an improved quality of life is the most desired achievement.”

Texas Health Fort Worth’s robust program provides neurological patients with educational tools and offers comprehensive rehabilitation programs for individuals recovering from brain tumor surgery. To develop a personalized treatment plan, physicians on the medical staff — including neurosurgeons, neuroradiologists, neurologists, pathologists and radiation oncologists — collaborate to determine whether treatment requires medication, surgical removal, radiation therapy, chemotherapy or scheduled monitoring.

The Joint Commission’s Disease-Specific Care Certification evaluates clinical programs and addresses three core areas:

• Compliance with consensus-based national standards
• Effective use of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines to manage and optimize care
• An organized approach to performance measurement and improvement activities

Follow this link to learn more about Texas Health’s brain tumor program.

*Physicians employed by Texas Health Physicians Group practice independently and are not employees or agents of Texas Health Resources hospitals.