Quality and Safety at MD Anderson

As one of the largest cancer centers in the world, MD Anderson remains committed to the highest standards for research-driven patient care and to providing quality education and training for the next generation of medical professionals.

Our History of Quality Care

NCI-designated cancer center

MD Anderson is one of the nation's original three comprehensive cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Act of 1971 and one of 56 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers today.

Joint Commission accredited

We have been consistently accredited by The Joint Commission since 1951, signifying our commitment to health and safety requirements set forth through federal regulations.

5-time Magnet designation

Less than 10% of hospitals in the U.S. achieve Magnet designation, an indicator of nursing excellence from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). MD Anderson is among the less than 1% that have achieved Magnet designation at least five consecutive times.

A Commitment to Patient Safety

Safety is one of five core values at MD Anderson and it means more than avoiding harm. It means we work together to create a physically and psychologically safe environment by following best practices for high quality care, inspiring trust with our safety culture, and modeling excellence in everything we do.

Our team members are on a journey to achieve high reliability. High reliability organizations adopt specific quality and safety principles that help them perform consistently well even in complex environments like health care. For example, all MD Anderson team members are encouraged to raise safety concerns through our robust safety reporting system and team safety huddles. Individual acts of courage and safety are recognized and celebrated.

How We Measure and Improve Our Performance

We rely on a variety of indicators to measure the strength of our quality and safety efforts.

Vizient 5-star rating

The Vizient Quality and Accountability scorecard is a tool that measures academic medical centers on forty-nine quality measures in the areas of mortality, readmissions, safety of care, patient experience, and timely and effective care. MD Anderson maintains the highest achievable rating, 5 stars, signifying our position as a top performing organization nationally in quality and safety.

U.S. News and World Report's Best Hospitals

MD Anderson has been named the No. 1 hospital for cancer care in the nation by U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Hospitals” rankings. We have been named one of the top two hospitals in cancer care every year since U.S. News & World Report began its annual rankings in 1990.

American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP)

We strive to be one of the best surgical hospitals nationwide as measured by the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) from the American College of Surgeons. The NSQIP report recognizes safety and surgical performance outcomes across several domains including mortality, unplanned intubation, cardiac incidents and infections.

Patient satisfaction surveys

Nobody knows us better than our patients. For each care experience, we ask for our patients candid feedback on how we can improve.

Patient and Family Advisor Program

Our Patient and Family Advisor Program is another opportunity for our patients and family members to share their input on policies, programs, facility designs and care delivery at MD Anderson. This partnership supports better and safer health outcomes.