MercyOne Richard Deming Cancer Center earns three-year rectal cancer accreditation
January 14, 2026The MercyOne Richard Deming Cancer Center has earned a three-year accreditation from the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons.
“MercyOne, the only rectal cancer center of excellence in central Iowa, continues to set the standard for cancer care. We are the first in the state to get this accreditation and we continue to be trailblazers in this field. The NAPRC accredits organizations that have demonstrated structural and process excellence, which ensure better outcomes for rectal cancer, a difficult cancer to treat,” says Shankar Raman, MD, MercyOne rectal cancer program director.
“Cancer physicians from various specialties come together to personalize treatment pathways for patients, including the adoption of new treatment approaches that ensure superb outcomes while focusing on quality of life. MercyOne Richard Deming Cancer Center patients can be assured that all treatment plans are vetted by an expert team of physicians specializing in rectal cancer care.”
To achieve voluntary NAPRC accreditation, a rectal center must demonstrate compliance with NAPRC standards for program management, clinical services, and patient quality improvement. Centers must establish a multidisciplinary rectal cancer team that includes clinical representatives from surgery, pathology, radiology, radiation oncology, and medical oncology.
Additionally, the program met standards for the clinical services it provides, including Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA) testing, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and Computerized Tomography (CT) imaging for cancer staging, enabling patients to start treatment within a defined timeframe. Rectal cancer programs accredited by the NAPRC undergo a site visit every three years and are also accredited by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer.
Accreditation by the NAPRC is granted only to programs committed to providing the best possible care to patients with rectal cancer. The NAPRC provides the structure and resources to develop and operate a high-quality rectal center, and accredited programs follow a model for organizing and managing a rectal cancer center to ensure multidisciplinary, integrated, comprehensive rectal cancer services.
