Cancer Treatment Centers of America

Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) is a private, for-profit operator of cancer treatment hospitals and outpatient clinics which provide both conventional and alternative medical treatments.^{[citation needed]}

CTCA's headquarters are located in Schaumburg, Illinois.

CTCA has four hospitals in the United States, located in Zion, Illinois; Tulsa; Philadelphia; and Goodyear, Arizona; a fifth center is under development in Newnan, Georgia. CTCA also operates an outpatient oncology clinic, Seattle Cancer Treatment and Wellness Center, located in Seattle.

History

CTCA was founded in 1988 by Richard J. Stephenson after his mother lost her battle with cancer. Stephenson was unsatisfied with the treatment options available to his mother and opened the first CTCA hospital with the mission of changing the face of cancer The first hospital to open was Midwestern Regional Medical Center in northern Illinois.

Description of services

CTCA advertises itself as the home of integrative and compassionate cancer care under the motto: "We never stop searching for and providing powerful and innovative therapies to heal the whole person, improve quality of life and restore hope".

CTCA endorses a model of treatment that integrates traditional therapies with the alternative ones. Traditional cancer treatments approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)—such as surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and stem cell transplants—are provided. Nutritional support, naturopathic programs, spiritual counseling, relaxation therapies and other alternative treatments are also available.

Based on the results of a 2011 U.S. government-administered patient survey called the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS), CTCA hospitals scored above both state and national averages on patient satisfaction.

HCAHPS is a national program of the Department of Health and Human Services to collect and publicly report patient satisfaction data so that patients can make valid comparisons among various hospitals. The data allows patients and families to compare hospitals based on in-patient experience..

On a scale of 0 (lowest) to 10 (highest) in the HCAHPS survey, most CTCA patients rate CTCA hospitals with a 9 or 10. Here are the HCAHPS scores for three of CTCA’s hospitals:

CTCA's Eastern Regional Medical Center HCAHPS scores:

CTCA’s Midwestern Regional Medical Center HCAHPS scores:

CTCA’s Southwestern Regional Medical Center HCAHPS scores:

Controversy

Cancer Treatment Centers of America was the subject of a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) complaint in 1993. The FTC alleged that CTCA made false claims regarding the success rates of certain cancer treatments in their promotional materials. This claim was settled in March 1996, requiring CTCA to discontinue use of any unsubstantiated claims in their advertising. CTCA is also required to have proven, scientific evidence for all statements regarding the safety, success rates, endorsements, and benefits of their cancer treatments. CTCA was also required to follow various steps in order to report compliance to the FTC per the settlement.

Cancer centers and hospitals in general (including Cancer Treatment Centers of America) have been the subjects of some controversy over their advertising. Many doctors and other observers have noted that many cancer organizations' advertising are sparsely regulated and, therefore, often contain unsupported and misleading claims as to the efficacy of their cancer treatments.

In 2001, the FDA issued CTCA a Warning Letter concerning three clinical trials that were conducted in violation of FDA requirements.

External links

• "Cancer Treatment Centers of America"
• "An Alternative For Cancer Patients" from BusinessWeek
• "Companies That Purport to Successfully Treat Cancer Agree to Settle FTC Charges over Their Claims" (1996 Federal Trade Commission Settlement Statement)