A Center of Excellence (COE) fosters and promotes the highest quality early detection and treatment standards in lung cancer.
The COE network includes over 600 local community hospitals, clinics, VA, and academic medical centers across the country, making it easier to find care near you.
Center of Excellence designations
The COE designations are built on evidence and incorporate clinical guidelines, best practice standards, and published data known to improve health outcomes, quality of life, and survival.
To become a COE, a facility must first earn one of the foundational designations— Screening or Cancer Care. Once that is achieved, it can apply for additional designations for services provided to the lung cancer community.
Screening
A screening program that uses a low-dose CT (LDCT) scan to check for lung cancer. It follows important health guidelines to make sure you get the right tests, and it has a set plan to track your care and follow up with you.
Cancer Care
Allows patients to access standard cancer treatments, including medicine, radiation, surgery, and lab tests to check for cancer.
Incidental Pulmonary Nodules
Offers a clear plan to track lung nodules that are found by accident during scans. It uses set steps to follow up with patients and share information across the health system.
Biomarker Testing and Precision Medicine
Makes sure that patients with certain types of cancer get biomarker testing to check for markers in or on their cells. These tests help doctors see if treatments like targeted therapies or immunotherapies will work for them.
Multidisciplinary Teams
Has a team of lung cancer specialists and patient navigators or coordinators that meet regularly to discuss patient cases and recommend the next steps in patient care.
Patient Centric Research
Consistently navigates people with lung cancer to find and join clinical trials when it's a good option for them.
Equity
Cares for people in a way that considers diversity, health equity and inclusion for all community members.
Community Engagement
Works with the community to expand lung cancer awareness and education.
Smoking Cessation
Consistently provides anyone with a history of tobacco use with cessation support and information that is known to help them quit smoking and/or stay quit, at all points of care from screening to diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship.
Survivorship
Helps make plans and provide resources to improve the quality of life for people who are living with or have had lung cancer.
Find a center near you
If you have been diagnosed with lung cancer and would like help finding a GO2-designated Center of Excellence in Cancer Care, view a list of designated centers below. If you don’t see a Cancer Care Center near you, please contact our HelpLine at 1-800-298-2436 or support@go2.org.
If you are a healthcare provider interested in joining GO2's Center of Excellence network, learn more about our benefits and designations.
COE Designations
- Lung Cancer Screening - Implements a structured low-dose CT screening program that adheres to NCCN, USPSTF, or CMS criteria and uses a standardized process to manage patient follow-through.
- Cancer Care - Demonstrates access to standard cancer services within medical, radiation, and surgical oncology and pathology.
- Incidental Pulmonary Nodules - Provides a structured program that captures incidentally found lung nodules from imaging. Utilizes standardized processes for patient follow-up and reporting across the health system.
- Biomarker Testing - Ensures access to guideline-directed testing for molecular and immune biomarkers with next generation sequencing technology in all patients with guideline-eligible tumors to determine eligibility for targeted therapies or immunotherapies.
If you’re someone living with lung cancer and would like your local facility to join the network, or if you’re a healthcare provider interested in applying for your facility, find out how to become a COE.
