Public Comment Opportunity: Revisions to Standard 4.2 and New Smoking Cessation Standard

The Commission on Cancer (CoC) and National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC) are requesting feedback on two proposed standards updates:

• Smoking Cessation Standard (CoC accreditation only)
• Revised Standard 4.2: Oncology Nursing Credentials (CoC and NAPBC accreditation)

The new smoking cessation standard aims to screen newly diagnosed patients with cancer for current smoking and provide referrals for evidence-based smoking cessation treatment. The requirements are based off the successful quality improvement projects—Just Ask and Beyond Ask—that many CoC-accredited programs participated in.

The revisions to Standard 4.2 are focused on decreasing the administrative challenges of the current standard through a policy and procedure outlining how the accredited program identifies applicable nurses who must meet the standard, timelines for compliance, and remediation.

The draft standards and public comment survey may be accessed using the links below:

• Standards Draft – Smoking Cessation
• Draft Revisions – Standard 4.2: Oncology Nursing Credentials
• Feeback Survey

The public comment period ends Friday, February 14.

The information received during the public comment period will be used to further refine the standards requirements and compliance measures in the proposed standards. An implementation timeline will be provided once the revisions are finalized.

All questions related to the content of the standards revisions must be submitted through the feedback survey. Questions and feedback provided will not be answered with a direct response, but all feedback will be considered.