Quality Cancer Care

The goal of Roswell Park, as a comprehensive cancer treatment center, is to ensure that we put our patients and families first. Roswell Park measures the quality of the care our patients receive not only through our clinical outcomes, but also the emotional and physical journey they experience. We value our patients' feedback and ask them to take an active role in the care they receive.

Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education

The Institute is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to offer CME credits in three general areas: continuing medical education for health care professionals, medical grand rounds at Roswell Park and continuing education conferences.

As part of its regional educational support effort, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center provides Continuing Medical Education programs which can aid physicians and medical staff in decision making related to cancer diagnosis, treatment and follow-up care.

Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education — for Medical and Surgical Oncology Training Programs

Age-Friendly Health Systems

Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) and The John A. Hartford Foundation have recognized Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center as an Age-Friendly Health System. The nonprofit organizations determined that Roswell Park provides care in accordance with the “4Ms” they consider to be essential, evidence-based elements of care for older patients:

  • What Matters: Know and align care with each older adult’s specific health outcome goals and care preferences including, but not limited to end-of-life, and across settings of care.
  • Medication: If medication is necessary, use age-friendly medication that does not interfere with What Matters to the older adult, Mobility, or Mentation across settings of care.
  • Mentation: Prevent, identify, treat, and manage dementia, depression, and delirium across settings of care.
  • Mobility: Ensure that each older adult moves safely every day to maintain function and do What Matters.

Roswell Park takes a comprehensive approach in order to understand what is most important to our older adult patients, implementing needs assessments and issuing patient surveys to ensure high-quality care for older patients.

American College of Radiology Breast Imaging Center of Excellence

American College of Surgeons

The American College of Surgeons (ACoS) is a scientific and educational association of surgeons that seeks to improve the quality of care for the surgical patient by setting high standards for surgical education and practice. Since 1931, Roswell has been a participant in the ACoS Commission on Cancer program for approval of clinical programs at 1,500 hospitals nationwide. In collaboration with the American Cancer Society, the program provides data on proved U.S. cancer programs.  

American Dental Association — Dentistry and Maxillofacial Prosthetics

Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs

Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC International)

American Association of Blood Banks (AABB)

Blue Distinction Center for Cancer Care

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center was one of the first in the country to be recognized as a Blue Distinction® Centers for Cancer Care due to its proven history of delivering exceptional care and results. It was also recognized for incorporating patient-centered and data-driven practices to coordinate cancer care and improve quality and safety, under a value-based payment model. The distinction also reflects the cancer center's focus on each patient’s experience. A team of physicians and nurses work with patients and their families to set care goals and treatment plans to improve quality of life.

Blue Distinction Center for Blood and Marrow Transplants

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is one of three centers in New York State to be designated a Blue Distinction® Center for Transplants by the BlueCross BlueShield Association (BCBSA). Blue Distinction Centers deliver quality specialty care based on objective, transparent measures for patient safety and health outcomes that were developed with input from the medical community. 

Blue Distinction Center for Cellular Immunotherapy

BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York has recognized us as a Blue Distinction® Center for Cellular Immunotherapy — CAR-T (chimeric antigen receptor). The center is one of two to receive this distinction in New York State. For the CAR-T designation, hospitals must be certified by a U.S. Food and Drug Administration program to provide such therapies and commit to system-wide monitoring of patient outcomes. 

*Blue Distinction Centers (BDC) met overall quality measures for patient safety and outcomes, developed with input from the medical community. A Local Blue Plan may require additional criteria for facilities located in its own service area; for details, contact your Local Blue Plan. Blue Distinction Centers+ (BDC+) also met cost measures that address consumers' need for affordable healthcare. Each facility's cost of care is evaluated using data from its Local Blue Plan. Facilities in CA, ID, NY, PA, and WA may lie in two Local Blue Plans' areas, resulting in two evaluations for cost of care; and their own Local Blue Plans decide whether one or both cost of care evaluation(s) must meet BDC+ national criteria. National criteria for BDC and BDC+ are displayed on www.bcbs.com. Individual outcomes may vary. For details on a provider's in-network status or your own policy's coverage, contact your Local Blue Plan and ask your provider before making an appointment. Neither Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association nor any Blue Plans are responsible for non-covered charges or other losses or damages resulting from Blue Distinction or other provider finder information or care received from Blue Distinction or other providers.

Cancer Immunotherapy Trials Network Member (CITN)

The Center for Immunotherapy at Roswell Park is proud to be among only 28 elite universities and cancer centers in North America that make up the Cancer Immunotherapy Trials Network (CITN), which means access to more treatment options for you.

The CITN works in conjunction with the National Cancer Institute, philanthropic institutions and industry partners, to speed access to the most promising cancer immunotherapies through clinical trials.

Forbes Best-in-State Employers 2022

forbes

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center has been named to Forbes’ 2022 list of America’s Best Employers by State, based on an anonymous worker survey about workplace culture, benefits and inclusion. Roswell Park was ranked number 11 on Forbes’ list of top New York State employers.

Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT)

Founded in 1996, FACT establishes standards for high-quality medical and laboratory practice in cellular therapies.  FACT is a non-profit corporation co-founded by the International Society for Cellular Therapy and the American Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation for voluntary inspection and accreditation in the field of cellular therapy.  FACT promotes high-quality patient care and laboratory performance in the belief that a valid accreditation must assess both clinical and laboratory aspects. Roswell Park is an accredited facility, having met the rigorous standards based on the latest knowledge in cellular therapy product transplantation.

Human Rights Campaign Foundation's LGBTQ+ Health Equity Leader

2022 HEI LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader logo

Established in 1980, the Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. Its educational arm, the HRC Foundation, annually publishes the Healthcare Equality Index (HEI) as a benchmark on treatment and inclusion of patients, visitors and employees.

Roswell Park has earned designation as an LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s HEI, receiving the maximum score in each qualifying criterion, showcasing proactive efforts to ensure high-quality, equitable care for individuals who identify as LGBTQ+.

Lung Cancer Alliance Screening Center of Excellence

The Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) awards this prestigious designation to centers that provide clear, evidence-based and up-to-date guidance on who is a candidate for lung cancer screening. Centers must also comply with comprehensive standards for screening quality, radiation dose and diagnostic procedures developed by professional bodies such as the American College of Radiology, National Comprehensive Cancer Network and International Early Lung Cancer Action Program.

The Joint Commission

The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits nearly 15,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. Since 1951, the Joint Commission has maintained state-of-the-art standards that focus on improving the quality and safety of care provided by healthcare organizations.

To earn and maintain the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval, an organization must undergo an onsite survey by a Joint Commission survey team at least every three years. Roswell Park had an unannounced survey in Fall 2006 and received full accreditation with the Gold Seal of Approval. Roswell also was an early adopter of the Joint Commission’s Palliative Care Certification and completing this shortly after it was offered in 2011. The Palliative Care Program at Roswell Park engages patients throughout their care, allowing them and their families to be actively involved in the choices for their care. This certification is achieved by yearly monitoring and biannual onsite visits by a Joint Commission surveyor.

The Joint Commission Palliative Care Certification

A new program being offered through the Joint Commission, Roswell Park was an early adopter of the Palliative Care Certification, completing this certification shortly after it was offered in 2011. The Palliative Care Program at Roswell Park is one that engages patients throughout their care, allowing for the patient and their family to be actively involved in the choices for their care. These choices include but are not limited to symptom management when undergoing treatment, choosing the path of care that best matches the patient’s wishes and planning for end of life care, whenever that arises. This certification is achieved by yearly monitoring and a bi-annual on-site visit where a Joint Commission surveyor reviews the program.

The Joint Commission Laboratory Accreditation

National Accreditation Program for Breast Cancers

National Cancer Institute

NCI designation means that a cancer center's combined research, treatment and educational programs have weathered extensive peer review, met rigorous national standards and made fundamental contributions to reducing the cancer burden. Roswell Park is the only upstate New York facility—and one of only 51 such centers in the U.S.—to hold the NCI designation of comprehensive cancer center, a recognition it has held since 1971.

National Comprehensive Cancer Network

Roswell Park is a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), an alliance of the nation's leading cancer centers. A not-for-profit organization, the NCCN brings together the best minds in science to engineer continuous quality improvements in cancer care; improve the effectiveness of cancer care delivery through ongoing collection and analysis of outcome data on a national basis; enhance communications and collaboration among member institutions; offer access to the latest, most promising clinical trials; and provide best practice guidelines and measurement tools. Many Roswell Park faculty serve on the NCCN panels that create the clinical practice guidelines and policy standards in oncology.

National Marrow Donor Program

Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI) Certification from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)

The World’s Best Specialized Hospitals for Oncology

Newsweek logo

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center has been named to the World’s Best Specialized Hospitals for Oncology 2023, compiled by Newsweek in collaboration with the respected research firm Statista, based on a global peer survey of healthcare professionals.

Roswell Park is the only Upstate New York center listed within the top 50 centers in oncology, and the only Buffalo-area center to be included on the full list of 250 top cancer hospitals internationally.