The thoracic surgery team at Rush has received the highest possible rating — three stars — for lung cancer resection outcomes and patient care from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.
Rush’s thoracic surgery team is one of only a handful to earn three stars, which denotes an excellent program with better-than-expected outcomes for patients.
“Our team is very proud of this recognition and our program,” says Michael Liptay, MD, chair of the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at RUSH MD Anderson Cancer Center.
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons is dedicated to measuring and improving cardiothoracic surgical outcomes by using a national database that collects data, calculates patient outcome scores and compares them with other institutions. Since its inception, Rush has frequently received the three-star rating for a specific type of lung surgery, lobectomy, but the recognition now extends to all lung surgeries.
“Institutions and surgeons that participate in the STS database are choosing to do so,” Liptay says. “And with their stringent methodology and quality assurance, on average this data is superior to other databases.”
Liptay credits the thoracic surgery team’s hard work and collaboration for achieving this designation.
“This recognition is validation of our team approach to patient care, where everyone is working towards the same goal — getting a patient with a life-threatening lung problem back to health and living,” he says.
The thoracic surgery team includes surgeons, physician assistants and advanced practice providers. And the team works closely with other specialties, such as anesthesia, pulmonary medicine, nursing and respiratory therapy.
“We all have the same mantra, if you will, to provide the best care we can and to treat our patients as we would like our family to be treated,” he says. “I’m very excited to share this recognition with such great colleagues.”
Liptay hopes his team can build upon the current success and further enhance patient care and outcomes.
“We're continuing to innovate and push the envelope as far as new techniques that'll get patients back to their active lives sooner,” Liptay says. “We look forward to continuing to provide the best care in the region.”
This accomplishment is one in a series of honors for the thoracic surgery program at Rush. U.S. News & World Report has ranked Rush University Medical Center among the best in the U.S. for Pulmonology and Lung Surgery.
