RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Cancer Institute have earned a systemwide accreditation from the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). By achieving the ASTRO APEx – Accreditation Program for Excellence®, the organization becomes one of only six health systems nationwide to earn this distinction across 10 or more care locations.
The recognition marks the first time the entire RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Cancer Institute radiation oncology program has been accredited through ASTRO as a single, unified unit.
While individual facilities across the system previously maintained accreditations through the American College of Radiology (ACR) or the American College of Radiation Oncology (ACRO), the unified APEx designation evaluates the entire health system under consistent, rigorous national standards for safety, quality, and patient-centered care.
The accreditation covers 10 primary hospital locations across New Jersey:
- Clara Maass Medical Center
- Community Medical Center
- Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center
- Jersey City Medical Center
- Monmouth Medical Center
- Newark Beth Israel Medical Center
- Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
- Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton
- Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset
- Trinitas Regional Medical Center
In addition to the core accreditation, three network hospitals—Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, and Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville—earned specialized APEx accreditation for radiopharmaceuticals. Fewer than 20 hospitals across the United States have achieved this specialized designation.
“Achieving APEx accreditation from ASTRO reflects our team’s steadfast commitment to delivering exceptional care and upholding the highest standards in radiation oncology at New Jersey’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center,” Dr. Steven Libutti, senior vice president of Oncology Services at RWJBarnabas Health and director of Rutgers Cancer Institute, said. “This national recognition underscores the trust our patients and community place in us and reflects the strong culture of quality, safety, and continuous improvement that we are building across our health system.”
APEx is widely regarded as the most comprehensive radiation oncology practice accreditation program in the country, with over 450 accredited individual facilities to date. To earn the accreditation, health systems undergo voluntary, multi-step evaluations by independent APEx surveyors who review clinical protocols, safety measures, quality assurance, and patient engagement strategies against the standards set in ASTRO’s Safety is No Accident framework.
“By achieving this comprehensive, industry-leading certification, the RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Cancer Institute team has affirmed its commitment to delivering radiation oncology care that is safe, effective, and wholly centered on patient needs,” Dr. Sameer Keole, chair of the ASTRO Board of Directors, said.
Radiation therapy remains an essential component of modern oncology, contributing to approximately 40% of cancer cures worldwide and treating more than one million Americans each year.
