Blood and Marrow Transplant Program Achieves FACT Accreditation

The MetroHealth Cancer Institute's Blood and Marrow Transplant Program has achieved a key accreditation that will make it possible for more patients to receive life-saving cellular therapies here.

Earlier this year, the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) awarded the program a three-year accreditation of an adult autologous and immune effector cell program, contingent upon successful annual reviews.

FACT accreditation is granted to programs that meet the most rigorous national standards for quality, safety and clinical care across the full continuum of cellular therapy care, including stem cell transplantation, immune effector cellular therapy, apheresis collection and cell processing

The accreditation recognizes that MetroHealth has established comprehensive quality management systems, standardized clinical protocols, trained multidisciplinary teams and robust patient care processes that align with nationally accepted best practices in cellular therapy.

MetroHealth performed its first blood and marrow transplant in April 2023. After completing five successful transplants – a goal reached well before the end of 2023 – MetroHealth began the process of applying for FACT accreditation.

The recognition strengthens MetroHealth's ability to expand access to more advanced cellular therapies – including clinical trials and expanded options for chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, a type of immunotherapy used to treat certain cancers – that potentially can be incorporated in their patient's care.

With the recognition, MetroHealth is better positioned to participate with insurance plans that require care at FACT-accredited programs for certain advanced cellular therapies. Expanded payer participation is essential for patients at MetroHealth who historically have faced barriers to accessing advanced cancer treatments.

"FACT accreditation paves the way for MetroHealth to expand access to novel cellular therapies for our patients, particularly our underserved communities, and strengthens our ability to deliver equitable, high-quality, state-of-the-art care," said Bernadette McQuigg, Director, Cellular Therapy/Cancer Care Operations.

Some commercial insurance providers require patients to receive certain treatments at designated centers of excellence and to demonstrate strong clinical outcome data and survival rates. With MetroHealth's FACT accreditation, patients won't be forced to leave their healthcare team and start over at another health system, McQuigg said.

McQuigg is quick to acknowledge not only the expertise and leadership of William W. Tse, MD, Division Director of Hematology & Oncology, and Tamila L. Kindwall-Keller, DO, Medical Director of the Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, but also the countless individuals whose support has been instrumental in launching and expanding the cellular therapy program. 

In early 2025 MetroHealth first began offering chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, a type of immunotherapy used to treat certain blood cancers. Patients whose cancer doesn't respond to chemotherapy can't qualify for an autologous stem cell transplant. But they might be a candidate for CAR T-cell therapy. 

Two different CAR T-cell therapies are available at MetroHealth. The new FACT accreditation will make it easier for other CAR T-cell product to become available in the upcoming months, McQuigg said.