Sylvester Again Recognized as a Cancer Center of Excellence

Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine has once again been recognized as a Cancer Center of Excellence by the State of Florida — one of just four cancer centers in the state, and the only one in South Florida, to have earned this honor.

Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The Cancer Center of Excellence designation recognizes providers that exceed service standards and excel in providing quality, comprehensive and patient-centered, coordinated care for cancer patients in Florida. Among the goals are to attract and retain the best cancer care providers to the state, and to help Florida be recognized nationally as a preferred destination for quality cancer care.

“In everything we do, providing exceptional care for our patients comes first,” said Sylvester Director Stephen D. Nimer, M.D. “Being awarded this designation for a second time is a spectacular testament to the unmatched quality of our clinicians and staff, and to our continued success in attracting many of the world’s top researchers to Sylvester. They are discovering and developing some of the most innovative, groundbreaking cancer treatments available anywhere.”

The three-year Cancer Center of Excellence designation is awarded to hospitals and treatment centers that meet rigorous performance measures and outcomes in three areas: health care organization, health care team members, and patients and family members.

“Cancer Centers of Excellence support the care and overall health outcomes of people undergoing cancer treatment,” said Celeste Philip, M.D., M.P.H., State Surgeon General and Secretary of the Florida Department of Health. “The department is pleased to recognize Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami as a Cancer Center of Excellence for their continued commitment to improving patient-centered care.”

The Health Department facilitates the process of applying for designation, and scores are based on rating standards created by a joint committee of members from the Florida Cancer Control and Research Advisory Council and the Biomedical Research Advisory Council, two advisory groups mandated by the Florida Legislature.

“We are so proud of the extraordinary clinicians, researchers and staff at Sylvester,” said Edward Abraham, M.D., executive vice president for health affairs, CEO of UHealth, and dean of the Miller School of Medicine. “It is a great honor to be recognized by the State of Florida for our colleagues’ tireless work and the visionary leadership of Dr. Nimer. Together they have made Sylvester one of the world’s premier cancer centers.”

Sylvester, part of UHealth – the University of Miami Health System, is also one of 11 members of the Alliance of Dedicated Cancer Centers, an elite group of academic cancer centers found to have the highest survival outcomes nationwide by a 2015 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Tags: Biomedical Research Advisory Council, Cancer Center of Excellence, Edward Abraham, Stephen D. Nimer, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center