USA Health University Hospital earns ongoing NAPRC accreditation for rectal cancer program
University Hospital became the first facility in Alabama to earn the three-year voluntary accreditation in 2022 and is now one of just 119 nationwide.
By Carol McPhail
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USA Health University Hospital has earned ongoing accreditation from the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons.
University Hospital became the first facility in Alabama to earn the three-year voluntary accreditation in 2022 and is now one of just 119 nationwide. To achieve accreditation, a center must demonstrate compliance with the NAPRC standards addressing program management, clinical services, and quality improvement for patients.
“This continued recognition by the American College of Surgeons confirms the high quality of care we provide for patients diagnosed with rectal cancer,” said Lee Grimm Jr., M.D., FACS, FASCRS, colon and rectal cancer program leader. “It also shows that we are constantly reviewing and updating our treatment plans to keep up with the latest science.”
Grimm, who also serves as a professor of surgery at the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine, established University Hospital’s multidisciplinary rectal cancer team in 2015, bringing together medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgeons, pathologists and radiologists to collaborate on all rectal cancer cases. The team meets regularly to report on the results from scans, biopsies and other tests, and to decide on the best treatment plan for each patient — one of the requirements for NAPRC accreditation.
Taken together, colon and rectal cancer are the fourth most common cancers in men and women and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S., not counting skin cancers. An estimated 46,950 new cases of rectal cancer will be diagnosed in the U.S. this year, according to the American Cancer Society.
Rectal cancer can be difficult to treat because of the rectum’s proximity to other vital organs and because it is often diagnosed at an advanced stage. Historically, doctors have treated rectal cancer with surgery to remove the rectum along with a margin of tissue and lymph nodes. Many patients can lose the function of their rectum and/or sphincter as a result and require a temporary or permanent ostomy pouch to rid the body of waste.
“Treatment for rectal cancer can have a significant impact on a patient’s quality of life,” Grimm said. “Not only that, but the quality of the resection by the surgeon, as well as the analysis of the specimen by pathology, have a direct impact on a rectal cancer patient’s long-term outcome.”
Currently, many rectal cancer patients are treated without surgery. In fact, as many as 50% of patients with rectal cancer now see a complete and durable response to chemotherapy and radiation alone where the tumor is completely eradicated. These complete responders are able to enter into a strict “watch and wait” surveillance protocol, which is also defined by the NAPRC in its updated 2026 standards.
The NAPRC and its rigorous standards were established by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer in 2017 to address variations in the quality of care. For patients treated at accredited facilities, this means reduced recurrence rates, enhanced quality of life, improved function and increased survival.
“The NAPRC standards ensure that not only is each patient’s cancer care tailored to their individual needs, but also that the highest national evidence-based standards are upheld in each case,” Grimm said.
