Roswell Park Moves Up on U.S. News List of Best Hospitals for Cancer Care

Superior outcomes also documented in new publication by Institute, ‘Quality 2014’

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center has once again been named to U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals–Cancer list, and remains the only New York institution outside Manhattan to be included on this ranking of distinguished centers. The Buffalo comprehensive cancer center, no. 43 among the top hospitals for cancer care in the country, was also ranked by U.S. News as High Performing in Urology. The recognition, in conjunction with the Institute’s recent publication of outcomes data in the report Quality 2014, affirms the center’s strong performance across many clinical areas and quality measures.

Less than 3 % of the nearly 5,000 hospitals that were analyzed for Best Hospitals 2015-16 were nationally ranked in even one specialty. Among the factors that Roswell Park was assessed highly on were survival rate for patients treated at the Institute; intensity of nurse staffing; availability of advanced technologies such as Gamma Knife surgery and endoscopic ultrasound; and patient services including pain management and palliative care.

“Cancer care is more complex today than it’s ever been, and we’re gratified to know that we continue to perform well across a number of quality measures, both in our own self-assessments and in valuations by outside groups like U.S. News & World Report,” says Roswell Park President & CEO and Wallace Family Chair in Translational Research Candace S. Johnson, PhD. “Consistent high performance and good outcomes take constant, dedicated effort. We look at every opportunity for improving our care and the experience patients and families have at all of our locations.”

U.S. News publishes Best Hospitals to help guide patients who need a high level of care because they face particularly difficult surgery, a challenging condition or extra risk because of age or multiple health problems. “A Best Hospital has demonstrated expertise in treating the most challenging patients,” says Ben Harder, Chief of Health Analysis at U.S. News. “A hospital that emerged from our analysis as one of the best has much to be proud of.”

Another recent report card on Roswell Park clinical trends and outcomes, the Institute’s own Quality 2014 publication, offers information about specific trends by cancer type and patient outcomes, along with evaluations of quality-of-life services and programs. The 140-page report, available on request in hard copy and for download from the Roswell Park website, compares Roswell Park statistics with national benchmarking data collected by the National Cancer Institute, American Cancer Society, American College of Surgeons, National Comprehensive Cancer Network and Press Ganey Associates, Inc.

“Roswell Park is proud to share its data about Roswell Park’s patient-centered care and clinical trends. Our physicians, nurses and clinical support staff strive daily to provide the highest-quality, most efficient cancer care to patients and their families,” says Boris Kuvshinoff, II, MD, MBA, Chief Medical Officer at Roswell Park.

The data comparisons in Quality 2014 show, for example, that:

  • For all cancer types, Roswell Park survival data are better than or equivalent to national averages.
  • Inpatient satisfaction scores place the Institute in the 97th percentile nationwide.
  • Roswell Park’s outstanding high-risk lung cancer screening program can result in early detection of the disease, offering patients more definitive treatment options and a better quality of life.
  • More than 90% of lung cancer surgeries at Roswell Park are performed with video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), reducing hospital stays and improving quality of life.
  • Outcomes for patients treated by Roswell Park’s Blood and Marrow Transplant Program are among the best in the nation. Roswell Park is the only cancer center providing specialty care to leukemia patients in Western New York.
  • Roswell Park is one of only 90 facilities in the nation to be named by the BlueCross BlueShield Association as a Blue Distinction Center for Complex and Rare Cancers, including pancreatic and esophageal cancer.
  • Since the Institute’s Center for Robotic Surgery opened in 2004, almost 100% of operations for prostate cancer at Roswell Park have been conducted with robotic assistance.
  • Roswell Park is above the national average for nursing care provided directly by a registered nurse.

For more information about U.S. News’ Best Hospitals, go to usnews.com/best-hospitals. To access Quality 2014 online, go to roswellpark.org/media/publications/quality-outcomes-2014.

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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.

Media Contact

Annie Deck-Miller, Senior Media Relations Manager
716-845-8593; annie.deck-miller@roswellpark.org