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Editors' Corner
By now many of us have enjoyed a safe, relaxing and enjoyable summer revisiting the sounds and sights of ocean waves, mountain, lakes, camping, family gatherings, backyard BBQ's and so much more. While some members have been sunning and playing, the NCBC home office continues to busy itself with new and interesting ideas and articles submitted by the many members from north, south, east and west.
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Feature Article
The NAPBC or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Accreditation (apologies to Dr. Strangelove)
Scott H. Kurtzman, MD, FACS
History of NAPBC - Why it was Formed
One such area of interest focuses on the enhancement of Breast Centers across the country by means of NCBC contributing to the NAPBC in their development of standards for Breast Centers. NCBC has two positions on the NAPBC Board and several members participate in various NAPBC committees. NAPBC includes a coalition of well over 19 cancer-related professional organizations. The major intent is to the establish quality metrics across the continuum of care to assure enhanced delivery of breast care.
This month's feature article by S. H. Kurtzman, MD, FACS describes the history and evolution of NAPBC, the rationale for the standards, the ongoing evolutionally process, and the future directions. We are publishing this article, in part, to help dispel the fear and worry of accreditation and in part to understand the benefit for our patients. Dr, Kurtzman has provided our readers with helpful information about the development and history of the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC) and why "accreditation makes a difference". Read on to learn "How to Stop Worrying and Love Accreditation" Read More....
The August Newsletter also includes important information on NCBC Networking, most up to date and recent job postings and the NCBC navigation certification available to members.
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Washington DC Fly-in Update
Washington DC Fly-In. There is a movement afoot to challenge the United States Preventive Services Task Force's [USPSTF] 2015 mammography screening guidelines which do not support mammograms from ages 40-49. These recommendations are still in draft form so there is time to address the shortcomings as they relate to age. NCBC, with the support of Hologic, sponsored a 30-person trip to Washington DC to lobby on the Hill. The purpose was to halt for two years the finalization of the current USPSTF until more analysis can be pursued.
NCBC has been working overtime on the behalf of women in this country - and on behalf of NCBC members' Breast Centers which have in many cases experienced significant decreases in younger women receiving screening mammograms. The inevitable later stage disease for these young women can be prevented by removing the age restriction to the 2015 USPSTF recommendations. That was the purpose of the Washington DC Fly-In sponsored by NCBC when 30 professionals and survivors lobbied on the Hill to encourage a two-year moratorium to the final approval of the guidelines. NCBC appreciates Hologic's support in this endeavor.
In this August newsletter, you will find numerous items related to this trip.
Call-to-Action. All the newsletter articles within this section will provide you, the member, with adequate information to contact your congressional representatives. This must be a grassroots effort. Please contact your representatives today to support the two bills that are described within.
- Senate Bill: S. 1926, sponsored by Senators Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and Kelly Ayotte (R-NH)
- House Bill: H.R. 3339 sponsored by Renee Ellmers (NC-02) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23)
- http://www.contactingthecongress.org/
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Shown are the 30 participants to the Fly-In at a breakfast rally with Congresswoman Renee Ellmers (center in red)
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The interdisciplinary membership of NCBC is sophisticated, experienced, knowledgeable, and generous. There are many reports of members providing extraordinary service and compassion to their patients, mentoring to their peers, and countless hours to their community. As an organization, we would like to honor those members when they are acknowledged by their professional organizations, advocacy groups, and other entities.
The Newsletter Advisory Board has developed a categorization that will appropriately classify the awards into one of several categories: [1] International, [2] National, [3] State, and [4] Regional/Local. There will be a special announcement in the newsletter and the award will remain on the NCBC web site through the years. Please let us know of any appropriate awards that we can publicize for our members.
The first National Honoree is Terry Bucknall, BA, CRA, RT[R][M] who recently was one of five honorees who received the 2015 Association for Medical Imaging Management [AHRA] Award for Excellence. Ms. Bucknall is also a member of the NCBC Board of Directors. Please read about Ms. Bucknall's accomplishments and her honor.
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Members of NCBC have the exclusive opportunity to communicate with other healthcare professionals in Breast Centers across the country by posting questions or answering others to enhance our knowledge on an ongoing basis. There are 16 categories which make targeted searches easier. Read more about the Information Exchange Program
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Companies have an opportunity to post job openings on the NCBC website. They are sent to the membership as an e-blast. Each position remains on the website for 30 days [or longer if needed]. The positions include all areas of expertise in the breast cancer, breast imaging field. This service is free for NCBC members and $400 for nonmembers.
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Navigation Certification
NCBC recognized the need for standardizing the navigator role in 2008 to help patients and families address the complex healthcare environment. It is a well-developed system to coordinate patients' care from the beginning to end. The role of the navigator has been incorporated into the accreditation standards of the Commission on Cancer and NAPBC. NCBC provides education and testing off site as well as during the conference. Read on for more information and dates of regional testing.
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NCBC Education: Save These Dates
Navigator Certification Exams
September 12, 2015 * Oak Lawn, IL
November 3, 2015 * New York, NY
November 13-14, 2015 * Albuquerque, NM
April 12 or 13, 2016 * Las Vegas, NV
Certified Breast Examiner (CBE)
April 12- 13, 2016 * Las Vegas, NV
26th Annual Interdisciplinary Breast Center Conference
April 9-13, 2016 * Las Vegas, NV
For more Information please call (574) 267-8058
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Benefits of NCBC membership include education and opportunity along with an exciting growth of program accessibility with our most recent newsletters on line. New members are always welcome and new articles are in high demand. We hope you find our information helpful and encourage your participation and ongoing membership.
Co-Editors
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