National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer

I am grateful to my friend and counterpart at our main campus, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio, Dr. Scott Steele for having allowed me to author an article about the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC) in the issue Seminars in Colon and Rectal Surgery for which he was the editor. In this article we had the opportunity to describe the history of the precursor group to the NAPRC, the evidence for the NAPRC, and describe the current status of the NAPRC. The NAPRC has rapidly drawn the attention of providers of rectal cancer care throughout the country.  Hopefully by the end of 2021 more than 50 of the more than 1,500 Commission on Cancer accredited programs will also be accredited by the NAPRC. This publication offers the specifics of the NAPRC.