NAPRC Standards and Resources

Optimal Resources for Rectal Cancer Care (2020 Standards)

The NAPRC Optimal Resources for Rectal Cancer Care (2020 Standards) are available for download. The change log documents edits made to 2020 Standards since its original release.

A crosswalk and notable changes resource comparing the 2017 standards to the 2020 Standards is available for download. Unless otherwise noted, programs are expected to implement changes in the 2020 standards by January 2021.

Interested in using content from Optimal Resources for Rectal Cancer Care (2020 Standards)? Please review the ACS Cancer Programs Accreditation Content Use Permission Requirements.

Download Standards Change Log

The National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC) Standards evaluate the following elements of a rectal cancer program:

Program Management: Ensures the program and multidisciplinary team is overseen by a qualified Rectal Cancer Program Director
Clinical Services: Confirms rectal cancer patients receive appropriate care based on diagnosis and within specified time targets
Quality Improvement: Utilizes data to improve efficiency, standardize care, and improve outcomes

Compliance Resources

Frequently Asked Questions for Radiology and Pathology Standards

A Frequently Asked Questions resource has been developed based on questions received from programs on pathology and radiology-related standards.

Standard 2.2: Rectal Cancer Program Director

Because the NAPRC rectal cancer measures in the National Cancer Database (NCDB) are in development, the four reports on NCDB data required in Standard 2.2 are not currently being rated. However, it is encouraged that the Rectal Cancer Program Director begin to report on data that is relevant to the rectal cancer program from the program's own registry or through other NCDB tools, such as the CQIP report.

Standard 5.3: Standardized Staging Reporting for MRI Results

The required elements for rectal cancer MRI results are defined in the Society of Abdominal Radiology template.

Standard 5.13: Adjuvant Therapy after Surgical Resection

Beginning January 1, 2023, Standard 5.13 is retired. It will not be rated at site visits occurring after its retirement.

Standard 7.1: Accountability and Quality Improvement Measures

Compliance with Standard 7.1 is not required at this time. This standard is still in development.

Standard 8.1: Rectal Cancer Program Education

For compliance with Standard 8.1, all surgeons, pathologists, and radiologists on the facility’s Rectal Cancer Multidisciplinary Team must complete the NAPRC-endorsed education module related to their respective specialties at least once.

Programs that underwent a NAPRC site visit in 2021 or earlier will need to comply with Standard 8.1 before the first re-accreditation visit. For any program undergoing its initial site visit in 2022 or later, Standard 8.1 must be complied with before the initial site visit.

Surgery

The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS) web-based Fundamentals of Rectal Cancer Surgery Course is now available. More information, including cost, may be found on the course’s website.

Radiology

The American College of Radiology (ACR) has released the education module that RC-MDT radiologist members must complete for compliance with Standard 8.1. For full course description please visit ACR’s Rectal Cancer Staging module webpage. NAPRC applicant programs have two options to purchase the course:

Individual Purchase
Direct your radiologist to individually purchase the module directly from the ACR website for immediate access. The cost is $120 for ACR members and $220 for ACR non-members. Make an individual purchase.
Facility Group Purchase
For institutions that would like to purchase access for multiple radiologists, group pricing is available for $600. Group pricing allows institutions to enroll radiologists as needed for up to one calendar year from the date of payment. Please email Melissa Parker at mparker@acr.org for more information and/or to coordinate a group purchase. Please put RC-MDT Group Pricing in the subject line of your email.

Pathology

The College of American Pathologists' (CAP) “Protocol for the Examination of Resection Specimens from Patients with Primary Carcinoma of the Colon and Rectum” must be reviewed as a self-study by all pathologist members of the accredited program’s RC-MDT. This protocol can be found on the CAP's Cancer Protocol Templates website.

The NAPRC Pathology Education Module webinar is now available.

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