Optum Center of Excellence Designation Awarded to Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

BUFFALO, N.Y. (Dec. 8, 2016) – Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center has again been recognized as an Optum® Center of Excellence (COE) in the areas of adult and pediatric blood and marrow transplantation (BMT).

Optum, one of the nation’s largest health and wellness companies, gives this designation to medical facilities that offer outstanding clinical care with excellent patient support and patient outcomes.

The BMT Center at Roswell Park has received the Optum designation each year since 2005. Roswell Park offers blood and marrow transplantation for adult and pediatric patients ages 4 to 80 who are diagnosed with blood disorders.

“Roswell Park is among the centers nationally who have undergone Optum’s rigorous evaluation process and have been recognized as offering exceptional, successful and cost-effective treatment options for patients needing blood and marrow transplants,” said Dr. Jon R. Friedman, Optum chief medical officer for Complex Medical Conditions. “We commend Roswell Park for providing quality patient care, earning this distinction as an Optum Center of Excellence.”

“Optum’s Center of Excellence designation affirms Roswell Park’s commitment to provide high-quality, cost-effective patient care while preserving the dignity, well-being and safety of the patients we serve,” said Terrie Kothe, vice president of Managed Care at Roswell Park. “This accreditation demonstrates to patients and referring physicians that the Roswell Park BMT program has some of the highest standards in patient care and laboratory services.”

COEs are vetted annually to ensure they are meeting quality thresholds. There are currently more than 1,000 Optum COEs across the nation with various specialties.

Roswell Park is one of the nation’s top blood and marrow transplant programs, based on patient outcomes. The BMT Center offers advanced techniques, therapies and services to improve outcomes for BMT patients. These include onsite collection and processing of blood and marrow, an outpatient clinic that cares exclusively for BMT patients before and after transplant, and the BMT Long-Term Survivorship Clinic.

“Blood and marrow transplantation is a complex process. Knowing that your care team meets such high standards of care is important,” said Philip McCarthy, M.D., director of Roswell Park’s Blood and Marrow Transplant Center. “Critical evaluations resulting in accreditation from organizations such as Optum provide patients with vital information on which to base their cancer care treatment decisions.”

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About Roswell Park
The mission of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is to understand, prevent and cure cancer. Founded in 1898, Roswell Park is one of the first cancer centers in the country to be named a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center and remains the only facility with this designation in Upstate New York. The Institute is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation’s leading cancer centers; maintains affiliate sites; and is a partner in national and international collaborative programs. For more information, visit www.roswellpark.org, call 1-800-ROSWELL (1-800-767-9355) or email AskRoswell@Roswellpark.org. Follow Roswell Park on Facebook and Twitter.

About OPTUM
Optum is a leading information and technology-enabled health services business dedicated to helping make the health system work better for everyone. With more than 100,000 people worldwide, Optum delivers intelligent, integrated solutions that help to modernize the health system and improve overall population health. Optum is part of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH). For more information, visit www.Optum.com.