FORT WORTH, Texas — Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth recently earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Brain Tumor Certification.

In 2016, Texas Health Fort Worth was the first brain tumor program in the state of Texas certified by The Joint Commission.

Last month, Texas Health Fort Worth underwent a rigorous on-site review, where a Joint Commission surveyor extensively reviewed clinical practice guidelines and performance measures. The hospital’s brain tumor program includes several forms of treatment, such as radiation therapy, chemotherapy, radiosurgery, image-guided neurosurgery, along with cranial-base surgical procedures, which is a subspecialty within the field of neuroscience.

“This recertification demonstrates the tireless work and commitment exhibited daily by our employees and physicians on the Texas Health Fort Worth medical staff,” said Joseph DeLeon, hospital president. “Our customized approach to treating brain tumors hopefully allows patients to appreciate the quality care we strive to give — not for recognition — but because it’s the right thing to do.”

Established in 2002 and awarded for a two-year period, The Joint Commission’s Disease-Specific Care Certification evaluates clinical programs across the continuum of care and addresses three core areas:

• Compliance with consensus-based national standards
• Effective use of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines to manage and optimize care
• An organized approach to performance measurement and improvement activities

Texas Health Fort Worth offers patients pertinent resources, which include a multidisciplinary team involving 13 neurosurgeons on the medical staff that collectively perform more than 1,200 elective surgeries each year.

“We know that neurological diseases don’t discriminate, and brain tumors can affect the youngest to the oldest of patients,” said Adrian Harvey, D.O., Texas Health Fort Worth’s Brain Tumor Program medical director and a member of North Texas Neurosurgical & Spine Center, a Texas Health Physicians Group practice.

“The focus is always on the patient, and the brain tumor program provides individuals with customized treatment options, educational resources, along with a nurse navigator to assist patients from diagnosis and treatment to recovery. It’s great to be a certified brain tumor program, but more importantly, witnessing patients living with an improved quality of life is the most desired achievement.”

To learn more, visit Texas Health Fort Worth’s brain tumor program.

Physicians employed by Texas Health Physician Group practice independently and are not employees or agents of Texas Health Resources hospitals.