Good Samaritan Hospital, a Mayfield Partner, Is Third in U.S. To Earn Gold Seal for Brain Tumor Care

TriHealth's Good Samaritan Hospital is the first hospital in the Midwest and the third in the country to earn The Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval® for Brain Tumor Certification. The Gold Seal of Approval® is a symbol of national quality that reflects an organization's commitment to providing safe and effective patient care.

Good Samaritan's brain tumor program is part of the TriHealth Neuroscience Institute, a partnership of TriHealth and Mayfield Brain & Spine that was formally established in 2017. The two organizations have been collaborating for more than 80 years.

"Mayfield is proud to partner with the TriHealth and Good Samaritan Hospital in the care of people diagnosed with brain tumors, cerebrovascular disease, spinal disorders, and other neurological conditions," said Andrew Ringer, MD, a Mayfield neurosurgeon and Chief of Neurosciences for the TriHealth Neuroscience Institute. "The Brain Tumor Gold Seal is a significant achievement and proof that superior brain tumor care is available right here in Cincinnati."

"We are especially proud of the Brain Tumor Gold Seal," said Christopher McPherson, MD, a Mayfield neurosurgeon and Site Director for Neurosurgery at Good Samaritan. "Being the first hospital in the Midwest to earn this distinction reinforces the fact that patients diagnosed with brain tumors do not need to travel out of town for treatment."

In addition to Dr. McPherson, who oversees Good Samaritan's brain tumor program, Mayfield's Vincent DiNapoli, MD, PhD, and Yair Gozal, MD, PhD, treat patients with brain tumors at the hospital.

To earn the Gold Seal, Good Samaritan underwent a rigorous on-site review. Joint Commission experts evaluated compliance with national disease-specific care standards as well as brain tumor-specific requirements. Clinical practice guidelines and performance measures also were assessed.

TriHealth's team-based approach to brain tumor care includes regularly scheduled Tumor Board meetings where a multidisciplinary team of specialists reviews challenging cases and recommends treatment plans. The Tumor Board includes the region's only fellowship-trained neuro-oncologist, neurosurgeons, radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, and pathologists. The team reviews brain tumor scans and patient histories, discusses possible treatment plans, and arrives at a consensus opinion, which is then discussed with the patient and his or her family.

The brain tumor team treats all types of tumors, including glioma/glioblastoma, metastatic tumors, skull base tumors, meningioma, pituitary tumors, acoustic neuroma, lymphoma, and spinal tumors. Advanced technologies available include intraoperative Airo® CT, stereotactic neuro-navigation, stereotactic radiosurgery, microscopic and endoscopic surgery, awake brain tumor surgery, intraoperative mapping for tumors in eloquent regions, systemic and intrathecal chemotherapy, and radiation seeds for malignant tumors.

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.

"Good Samaritan Hospital has thoroughly demonstrated a high level of care for patients with brain tumors," said Patrick Phelan, Executive Director of Hospital Business Development for The Joint Commission. "We commend TriHealth and Good Samaritan Hospital for becoming a leader in brain tumor care, potentially providing a higher standard of service for brain tumor patients in its community."

Mayfield and TriHealth have played major roles in the development of neurosurgery in Greater Cincinnati. Good Samaritan first recruited Dr. Frank H. Mayfield to Cincinnati in 1937. Dr. Mayfield built his practice at Good Samaritan, where he established a community neurosurgery education program and went on to create one of the largest and most progressive neurosurgery practices in the country. He also guided the development of Good Samaritan's current Neurosurgical ICU, which was named in his honor.

Mayfield Brain & Spine is the full-service patient care provider of the Mayfield Clinic, one of the nation's leading physician organizations for neurosurgical treatment, education, and research. With more than 20 specialists in neurosurgery, interventional neuroradiology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, and pain management, Mayfield Brain & Spine treats 25,000 patients from more than 30 states in a typical year. Mayfield physicians specialize in the treatment of back and neck pain, sciatica, Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, NPH, epilepsy, brain and spinal tumors, stroke, moyamoya, brain aneurysms, Chiari malformation, scoliosis, kyphosis, facial pain, facial twitch, trauma, concussion, spinal cord injury, and carpal tunnel. As leading innovators in their field, Mayfield physicians have pioneered surgical procedures and instrumentation that have revolutionized the medical art of neurosurgery for spinal diseases and disorders, brain tumors, and neurovascular diseases and disorders.

TriHealth provides clinical, educational, preventive, and social programs through Bethesda North, Bethesda Butler, TriHealth Evendale, Good Samaritan, McCullough-Hyde, and TriHealth Rehabilitation hospitals and more than 130 other locations throughout Greater Cincinnati. This includes an ambulatory network, physician practices, research division, employer-based health services, hospice care, and fitness and health facilities. Learn more at TriHealth.com, Facebook.com/TriHealth, @TriHealth on Twitter, and at YouTube.com/TriHealth.

Gold Seal of Approval®