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Our top priority is providing value to members. Your Member Services team is here to ensure you maximize your ACS member benefits, participate in College activities, and engage with your ACS colleagues. It's all here.

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Cancer Programs

Accreditation

Thank you for your interest in the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC) accreditation. Your rectal cancer program will be evaluated against comprehensive standards to demonstrate compliance and your commitment to providing high-quality rectal cancer care.

Apply Today

NAPRC Optimal Resources for Rectal Cancer Care Gap Analysis Tool

To assist your accreditation journey, the NAPRC has developed a tool to help assess your site’s readiness to apply for NAPRC accreditation. This resource includes:

  • Standard Elements – A basic description of the elements within each standard.
  • Required Documentation – Information on what is needed to demonstrate compliance.
  • Site Status – A space to document your site’s current standard compliance status.
  • Action Plan – A space to document an action plan to address compliance gaps.
  • Resources – Links to available resources that can assist with compliance, including access to templates and an example of the Pre-Review Questionnaire (PRQ).

For more information on this tool, please visit the ACS Store.

NAPRC Slide Deck

The NAPRC slide desk is undergoing revision by the NAPRC Education Committee. A new slide deck will be posted soon. Please watch future issues of the Cancer Programs News e-newsletter for updates on this content or contact the Education Team at cancerprogramsevents@facs.org if you have questions.

Key Application Information

  • Programs must be able to demonstrate 12 months of compliance with all of the NAPRC standards.
  • Programs must have a minimum of 10 rectal cancer surgical resections during the most recent calendar year.
  • An initial on-site visit will be scheduled within six to nine months after the application is approved and access to the Quality Portal is provided.

Benefits of NAPRC Accreditation

Education and Training

Web-based education and in-person workshops to educate about the standards, best practices to support compliance with the standards, and tips and techniques for preparing for the site visit.

Tools and Templates

Resources to assist you in recording and tracking your program activity for select standards in between, and in preparation for, site visits.

Program Support

Access to the CAnswer Forum online community to ask questions, search topics, and connect with rectal cancer program colleagues across the country to share best practices.

Marketing Resources

Promote your NAPRC accreditation to your community with a variety of resources made available to accredited programs including certificates, posters, and banner stands. Your rectal program is also promoted to the public through the Find an Accredited Center web page.

New Program Checklist

Applications should not be submitted until the program has 12 months of compliance in place and has a minimum of 10 rectal cancer surgical resection cases during the most recent calendar year.

Pre-Submission
  • Verify your rectal cancer program is part of a Commission on Cancer (CoC)-accredited program.
    • Note: Network accreditation is not available for the NAPRC. If the affiliated CoC program has an Integrated Network Cancer Program (INCP) category, then the NAPRC program attaches at the individual hospital level. If multiple hospitals within the INCP wish to achieve NAPRC accreditation, then each hospital must apply and be reviewed separately.
  • Download and review the current version of the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer Standards Manual.
  • Form a defined rectal cancer multidisciplinary team that includes one appointed physician member from surgery, pathology, radiology, medical oncology, and radiation oncology.
  • Appoint a Rectal Cancer Program Director and a Rectal Cancer Program Coordinator.
Submission
  • Complete the online application once the program can demonstrate 12 consecutive months of compliance and has a minimum of 10 rectal cancer surgical resection cases during the most recent calendar year.
  • Complete the site profile once the application is processed.
  • Receive an initial annual accreditation fee invoice.
  • Receive full access to the Quality Portal (QPort)upon receipt of payment, which includes access to the Pre-Review Questionnaire (PRQ) and the ability to submit four preferred dates for the initial site visit.
Post-Submission
  • Receive formal notification of the site visit date.
  • Undergo an in-person site visit by a NAPRC-trained site reviewer.
  • Receive the Accreditation Report, which documents the site visit results, within 45 days of the site visit, or as soon as practical thereafter, of the site visit.
    • Before Accredited status is granted, corrective action must be completed for any non-compliant standards noted in the accreditation report.
    • Programs undergoing an initial site review that has seven or more non-compliant standards will be rated Not Accredited and will need to reapply for accreditation after one calendar year.
  • Promote your NAPRC accreditation.