Awards and Certifications

Blue Cross Blue Shield has named the Lifespan Cancer Institute a Blue Distinction Center for its exceptional cancer care. Blue Distinction is a national designation program that recognizes health care providers who demonstrate expertise in particular specialties, enabling patients who are seeking treatment to find the quality they need.

The QOPI Certification Program is an affiliate of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, dedicated to recognizing exemplary commitment to safety and quality in oncology care. The three-year certification indicates that the Lifespan Cancer Institute meets specific quality and safety standards. It also requires ongoing participation in the QOPI program throughout the term.

To become a QOPI-certified institution, the practice must submit to a practice-wide evaluation of its documentation standards and meet core standards of treatment, including creating a safe environment, treatment planning, patient consent and education, safe chemotherapy administration, and self-training and education.

The Lifespan Cancer Institute at Rhode Island, The Miriam, and Newport hospitals has been recognized by the National Pancreas Foundation (NPF) as a certified NPF Pancreatic Cancer Center. These centers are designated based on the belief in and commitment to treating the “whole patient” with a focus on the best possible outcomes and an improved quality of life.

NPF centers focus on multidisciplinary treatment of pancreatic cancer. Certified centers are required to have designated core personnel, including a medical oncologist, pathologist, radiation oncologist, interventional radiologist, gastroenterologist, and at least two surgeons. The center must also have access to special expertise and services, such as clinical trials, psychosocial support, palliative care, dietitian support and electronic medical records.

Becker’s Hospital Review has honored the Lifespan Cancer Institute at Rhode Island, The Miriam and Newport hospitals as one of the “100 Hospitals and Health Systems with Great Oncology Programs” for the third consecutive year.

The health systems selected for this award must excel in oncology expertise, outcomes, research and treatment options, and are chosen based on rankings, ratings, distinctions and achievement awards. This list considered hospitals that had been awarded by U.S. News & World Report, CareChex, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, the National Cancer Institute and the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer.

For the second year in a row, the Comprehensive Cancer Center of Rhode Island Hospital, The Miriam Hospital and Newport Hospital was selected for Becker's Hospital Review’s 2016 edition of its list of “100 Hospitals and Health Systems With Great Oncology Programs”. The hospitals and health systems selected for this list are leading the way in clinical expertise, patient outcomes and influential cancer research.

Hospitals were selected for inclusion on this list based on rankings, designations and outstanding achievement awards determined and distributed by U.S. News & World Report cancer care rankings, CareChex cancer care rankings, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association Blue Distinction Center designation, National Cancer Institute designations and American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer accreditations and awards.

Lifespan Cancer Institute has received the ASCO's Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI) quality assurance award.  Medical oncology at the Rhode Island Hospital and East Greenwich outpatient center were honored in early 2015 while medical oncology at The Miriam Hospital received the certification in late 2016. Both are three year certifications.

QOPI, a program of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, is an oncologist-led, practice-based quality assessment program designed to promote excellence in cancer care by helping practices create a culture of self-examination and improvement. The initiative provides a standard methodology, robust library of quality metrics for oncology, and a collection tool to reliably and routinely assess care, inform quality improvement activities, and demonstrate quality to patients and external stakeholders.

The Comprehensive Cancer Center of Rhode Island Hospital, The Miriam Hospital and Newport Hospital was selected for Becker's Hospital Review’s 2015 edition of its list of "100 Hospitals and Health Systems With Great Oncology Programs".  The Comprehensive Cancer Center is the only Rhode Island health system on the list for 2015.

The list features organizations dedicated to treating cancer patients as well as researching the deadly disease. The hospitals and cancer centers stand out in terms of quality patient care, clinical outcomes and research achievements.

The Becker's Hospital Review editorial team selected hospitals for inclusion based on recognition received, accreditations earned, and memberships held in cancer care-oriented groups. Specifically, the Becker's team examined U.S. News & World Report's hospital rankings for treating cancer, CareChex cancer care rankings, BlueCross BlueShield Association Blue Distinction Center designation, National Cancer Institute designations, and Commission on Cancer accreditations and awards received, as well as membership in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. 

The Comprehensive Cancer Center at Rhode Island Hospital was presented with the Midyear 2015 Outstanding Achievement Award by the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer. Rhode Island Hospital is one of only 23 health care facilities in the country – and the only in Rhode Island – to receive this national honor for excellence in providing quality care to cancer patients.

The award recognizes the significant commitment by the Rhode Island Hospital team in providing superior cancer care to patients while meeting and exceeding the standards set by the Commission on Cancer.

The Outstanding Achievement Award criteria were based on qualitative and quantitative surveys conducted from January to June, 2015. The hospital was evaluated on 34 program standards within four cancer program activity areas: cancer committee leadership, cancer data management, clinical services and quality improvement. Programs are further evaluated on seven commendation standards. Award recipients must have received commendation ratings in all seven commendation standards, in addition to receiving a compliance rating for each of the 34 cancer program standards.

The Breast Cancer Multidisciplinary Clinic at Rhode Island Hospital, The Miriam Hospital and the East Greenwich outpatient location received National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC) Accreditation for surgical, medical and radiation oncology in 2015. This is a three year accreditation.

Accreditation by NAPBC is granted only to those centers that are voluntarily committed to providing the best possible care to patients with diseases of the breast. Each breast center must undergo a rigorous evaluation and review of its performance and compliance with NAPBC Standards including leadership, clinical management, research, community outreach, professional education and quality improvement.

The Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC) of Rhode Island, The Miriam and Newport hospitals has received a three-year accreditation with commendation from the Commission on Cancer (CoC), a program administered by the American College of Surgeons (ACoS). To earn this designation, the CCC had to meet or exceed 34 CoC quality care standards, agree to be evaluated every three years through a survey process and maintain levels of excellence in the delivery of comprehensive patient-centered care.

“Earning accreditation from the Commission on Cancer underscores the incredible care being provided by the physicians and staff of the Comprehensive Cancer Center,” said David Wazer, MD, interim medical director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center. “This recognition also distinguishes the level of care being delivered at Comprehensive Cancer Center and our commitment to providing high-quality care to the community.”

The voluntary CoC Accreditation Program provides the framework for the Comprehensive Cancer Center to improve its quality of patient care through various cancer-related programs that focus on the full spectrum of cancer care including prevention, early diagnosis, cancer staging, optimal treatment, rehabilitation, life-long follow-up for recurrent disease and end-of-life care. When patients receive care at a CoC facility, they also have access to information on clinical trials and new treatments, genetic counseling, and patient-centered services including psycho-social support, a patient navigation process, and a survivorship care plan that documents the care each patient receives and seeks to improve cancer survivors’ quality of life.

Like all CoC-accredited facilities, the Lifespan Cancer Institute maintains a cancer registry and contributes data to the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB), a joint program of the CoC and American College of Surgeons (ACS). This nationwide oncology outcomes database is the largest clinical disease registry in the world. Data on all types of cancer are tracked and analyzed through the NCDB and used to explore trends in cancer care. CoC-accredited cancer centers, in turn, have access to information derived from this type of data analysis, which is used to create national, regional, and state benchmark reports. These reports help CoC facilities with their quality improvement efforts.

The Comprehensive Cancer Center at Rhode Island Hospital has received the 2013 Outstanding Achievement Award from the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer. Rhode Island Hospital is one of only 74 U.S. health care facilities with accredited cancer programs to receive this national honor for surveys performed in 2013. The award acknowledges cancer programs that achieve excellence in providing quality care to cancer patients.

The Leonard and Adele R. Decof Family Comprehensive Cancer Center at The Miriam Hospital received this award in 2012.

“Each day the staff at the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Rhode Island Hospital demonstrates its unwavering commitment to our patients,” said James Butera, MD, medical director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center. “That commitment ranges from providing patients with the highest quality medical care to the most innovative clinical trials, from effective educational tools to compassionate support programs. This award recognizes that commitment and rewards our team for all of its hard work.”

The Comprehensive Cancer Center at Rhode Island Hospital was evaluated in 2013 on 34 program standards categorized within one of five cancer program activity areas: cancer committee leadership, cancer data management, cancer conferences, clinical services and quality improvement. The program was further evaluated on seven commendation standards. To be eligible, all award recipients must have received commendation ratings in all seven commendation standards, in addition to receiving a compliance rating for each of the 34 other standards.

This accreditation also means Rhode Island Hospital offers access to information about clinical trials and research, cancer-related educational materials and support, as well as a cancer registry that collects data on type and stage of cancers, treatment results and lifelong patient follow-up.

The purpose of the Outstanding Achievement Award is to raise awareness of the importance of providing quality cancer care at health care institutions throughout the U.S. In addition, it is intended to motivate other cancer programs to work toward improving their level of care, facilitate dialogue between award recipients and health care professionals at other cancer facilities for the purpose of sharing best practices, encourage honorees to serve as quality-care resources to other cancer programs and educate cancer patients on available quality-care options.  

The Comprehensive Cancer Center at Rhode Island Hospital provides a full range of cancer services, including prevention, outreach, education, screening, treatment and survivorship support.

The Comprehensive Cancer Center at Rhode Island Hospital and The Leonard and Adele R. Decof Family Comprehensive Cancer Center at The Miriam Hospital have each earned the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons.

The award recognizes the significant commitment by medical staff, administration and staff at both hospitals to providing high-quality cancer care to their patients, as well as meeting and exceeding the standards set by the CoC. Rhode Island and The Miriam hospitals are among just 90 CoC-accredited cancer programs across the United States to receive the Outstanding Achievement Award as a result of surveys performed during 2010.

Established in 2004, the CoC Outstanding Achievement Award is designed to recognize cancer programs that strive for excellence in providing quality care to cancer patients. The award is granted to facilities that demonstrate a Commendation level of compliance with seven standards that represent six areas of cancer program activity: cancer committee leadership, cancer data management, clinical management, research, community outreach, and quality improvement.

The level of compliance with the seven standards is determined during an on-site evaluation by a physician surveyor. In addition, facilities must receive a compliance rating for the remaining 29 cancer program standards. Only 90 programs nationwide received the Outstanding Achievement Award, which represents approximately 17 percent of programs surveyed in 2010. Only one other facility in Rhode Island was recognized with this honor.

Overall, Rhode Island Hospital's cancer center has been accredited by the CoC since 1983; The Miriam Hospital has been accredited since 1991. There are currently more than 1,500 CoC-accredited cancer programs representing 25 percent of all hospitals in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. These CoC-accredited facilities diagnose and/or treat 71 percent of all newly diagnosed cancer patients each year. Receiving care at a CoC-accredited cancer program ensures that a patient will have access to the full quality spectrum of comprehensive cancer care close to home.