Baton Rouge General Earns National Rectal Cancer Accreditation

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Baton Rouge General has earned a three-year accreditation from the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC), a quality program administered by the American College of Surgeons, for providing the highest level of care in treating rectal cancer. The latest recognition makes BRG the only hospital in the state with all three key cancer program accreditations: Commission on Cancer, NAPRC for rectal cancer, and NAPBC for breast care. In 2009, BRG’s cancer program was the first in Louisiana to be granted NAPBC accreditation.

“This is an achievement we’ve been working toward for nearly two years, and I couldn’t be prouder of our team,” said Dr. R. Scott Daugherty, a colorectal surgeon at Baton Rouge General. “Through our partnership with Mary Bird Perkins, a multidisciplinary team from physicians to nutritionists continues to provide the most comprehensive and innovative care to our patients.”

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the United States. About 145,000 people are newly diagnosed with colorectal cancer each year, and 44,000 of them have rectal cancer. Though rectal cancer risk increases with age, there has been a noticeable trend toward early-onset cases, and colorectal cancer is now a leading cause of cancer death among people under 50 in the U.S.

There are often no symptoms in the early stages of rectal cancer, so regular screening colonoscopies are recommended starting at age 45 for people at average risk, and earlier if there is family history or other factors that increase risk. This includes a history of inflammatory bowel disease, and colon or rectal polyps.

To achieve accreditation, a rectal center must demonstrate compliance with the NAPRC standards addressing program management, clinical services, and quality improvement for patients. Centers are required to establish a multidisciplinary rectal cancer team that includes clinical representatives from surgery, pathology, radiology, radiation oncology, and medical oncology.

Accreditation by the NAPRC is granted only to those programs that are committed to providing the best possible care to patients with rectal cancer. The NAPRC provides the structure and resources develop and operate a high-quality rectal center and accredited programs follow a model for organizing and managing a rectal center to ensure multidisciplinary, integrated, comprehensive rectal cancer services.

Opened in 1987, BRG’s cancer program was the first accredited cancer program in Baton Rouge. In January 2022, BRG and Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center announced a collaboration to expand and enhance cancer care resources in the Greater Baton Rouge area. As part of the expansion, BRG opened a new infusion center on its Bluebonnet campus.

For more information on NAPRC accreditation, click here. For more information on cancer care at BRG, click here.

About Baton Rouge General Medical Center
Baton Rouge General Medical Center is the area’s first community hospital with over 600 licensed beds between three campuses. Baton Rouge General opened its doors in 1900, and has provided the Greater Baton Rouge community with high-quality healthcare for generations. An accredited teaching hospital since 1991, Baton Rouge General is affiliated with several medical school programs, and offers other medical education programs, including a School of Nursing, School of Radiologic Technology, Family Medicine Residency Program, Internal Medicine Residency Program, and Sports Medicine Fellowship Program. For more information, visit BRGeneral.org, find us on Facebook at Facebook.com/BatonRougeGeneral and follow us on Twitter @BRGeneral and Instagram @batonrougegeneral.

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