Research Medical Center
February 22, 2022

Kansas City, MO  — The Sarah Cannon Transplant & Cellular Therapy Program at Research Medical Center — part of HCA Midwest Health, Kansas City’s leading healthcare provider — has received internationally-recognized accreditation by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) for adult autologous transplantation.  

FACT is an internationally recognized accrediting body for programs offering blood and marrow transplant, sometimes called stem cell transplant or bone marrow transplant. This indicates the accredited institution has met the most rigorous standards in the entire therapy spectrum from clinical care to donor management, cell collection, processing, storage, transportation, administration, and cell release.

“We could not be more pleased to achieve FACT accreditation to provide those facing blood cancer with the highest level of blood and marrow transplantation in addition to our complex blood cancer care,” says Suman Kambhampati, MD, program site director, Sarah Cannon Transplant & Cellular Therapy Program at Research Medical Center. “FACT accreditation has evolved into necessary qualification to be competitive in the field of cellular therapy. This accreditation validates the high-quality standards that we hold our program.”

In addition to adult autologous blood and marrow transplantation, the Sarah Cannon Transplant & Cellular Therapy Program at Research Medical Center has provided patients with blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma convenient, community-based access to complex blood cancer care, including clinical trials and innovative therapies, for more than six years.

“The Sarah Cannon Transplant & Cellular Therapy Program at Research Medical Center is committed to providing an unparalleled experience for patients seeking treatment for blood cancer,” says Frank Slovick, MD, co-medical director, Sarah Cannon Transplant & Cellular Therapy Program at Research Medical Center. “These patients have unique needs, requiring care from a highly specialized team. We have assembled an outstanding team of nurses, providers, pharmacists, coordinators and other staff who are providing the best possible care and cutting-edge cellular therapies to patients in our region.”

The Sarah Cannon Transplant & Cellular Therapy Program at Research Medical Center, which includes a dedicated inpatient unit and outpatient clinic, is part of the Sarah Cannon Transplant & Cellular Therapy Network, which brings together physician-led blood cancer programs across the United States and United Kingdom and is one of the largest providers of transplant and cellular therapies in the world.

“We thoughtfully assembled a local team of experts to meet the needs of our community’s patients before, during and after transplant,” says Joseph Restivo, DO, medical director of Transfusion Medicine and Cellular Therapy Collections, Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute at HCA Midwest Health. “Our wider collaboration with our colleagues at Sarah Cannon allows us to leverage our shared knowledge, experience and capabilities in an effort to bring the most innovative and highest quality of care to patients.”

“The Sarah Cannon Transplant & Cellular Therapy Network was ultimately created to increase the quality and efficiency of care for those facing blood cancers, blood disorders and immune-related disorders,” says Fred LeMaistre, MD, senior vice president of market operations, Sarah Cannon and physician-in-chief of blood cancers, Sarah Cannon Transplant & Cellular Therapy Network. “We are proud that Research Medical Center has met the highest standards of blood and marrow transplantation and can even better serve patients throughout the region.”

“Research Medical Center is pleased to offer patients in the region the quality and expertise of the Sarah Cannon Transplant & Cellular Therapy Network including blood and marrow transplants,” says Ashley McClellan, chief executive officer, Research Medical Center. “We strive to give our patients the highest quality and most comprehensive services available for complex blood disorders. Our FACT accredited adult autologous program exemplifies that commitment and expands the treatment options available to people living with blood cancer.”

FACT conducted an on-site evaluation of the Sarah Cannon Transplant & Cellular Therapy Program at Research Medical Center in October 2021. Accreditation is attained through evaluation of submitted documentation and on-site inspection to determine if an organization is in compliance with current FACT standards and the United States Food and Drug Administration’s current rules for Good Tissue Practice. FACT Standards are defined by leading experts based on the latest knowledge of the field of cellular therapy.


About HCA Midwest Health 

As the Kansas City area’s leading healthcare provider, HCA Midwest Health consists of seven hospitals and dozens of outpatient centers, clinics, physician practices, surgery centers and an array of other facilities and services to meet area residents’ healthcare needs. HCA Midwest Health is one of the area’s largest private-sector employers, with more than 10,000 employees, and the largest provider of charity and uncompensated care. Each year, we provide nearly $1 million to local charities. Annually, HCA Midwest Health invests capital to enhance and expand patient services and last year paid more than $115 million in taxes, which may go to the improvement of schools, roads and infrastructure in the communities we serve. HCA Midwest Health facilities include Belton Regional Medical Center, Centerpoint Medical Center, Lafayette Regional Health Center, Lee's Summit Medical Center, Menorah Medical Center, Overland Park Regional Medical Center, Research Medical Center and Research Psychiatric Center. Midwest Physicians, which is part of HCA Midwest Health, is a network of experienced, multi-specialty physicians located throughout the Greater Kansas City metropolitan area. Currently Midwest Physicians represents 600+ providers. It includes 80+ specialties, providing care in 150+ locations to serve our community. The physicians, licensed professionals and support staff who comprise the HCA Midwest Health team are dedicated to improving healthcare in the Greater Kansas City and outlying areas to create healthier communities that lead to healthier tomorrows. For more information, visit hcamidwest.com

About The Sarah Cannon Transplant & Cellular Therapy Network

The Sarah Cannon Transplant & Cellular Therapy Network offers patients convenient, community-based access to complex blood cancer care, hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), clinical trials, and innovative cellular therapies such as immune effector cell therapy. The Sarah Cannon Transplant & Cellular Therapy Network brings together programs across the United States and United Kingdom and is one of the largest providers of HCT performing ~1,200 transplants annually through nine FACT/JACIE accredited transplant centers and more than 16,000 transplants since inception of its first program. For more information about the Network and Sarah Cannon’s full suite of oncology services, visit sarahcannon.com. 

About FACT

In December 1994, the International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) and the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (ASBMT) merged their Standards into a single document covering all aspects of hematopoietic cell therapy (collection, processing, and transplantation). The two societies established FACT in order to develop a voluntary Inspection and Accreditation Program based on the joint Standards.  FACT promotes quality medical and laboratory practice of cellular therapy through its peer-developed standards and voluntary inspection and accreditation program.

In 2006, FACT, in collaboration with the Joint Accreditation Committee–ISCT & EBMT (JACIE), developed international standards in the field of cellular therapy.  JACIE was founded by the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) and the International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT), the two leading scientific organizations involved with cellular transplantation in Europe. 

Since 2007, FACT accreditation has been used in determining the U.S. News & World report rankings of transplant centers for the "America's Best Hospitals" and "America's Best Children's Hospitals" list. 

The FACT Inspection and Accreditation Program was developed by Dr. Phyllis Warkentin, Chief Medical Officer of FACT, the FACT Board of Directors, as well as the ISCT and ASBMT Regulatory and Standards Committees.  The first edition of the FACT Standards was published in September 1996, and the first inspections began in September of 1997 resulting in the first program being awarded accreditation in 1998.