(Credit for Photo: Photo Provided with Release Courtesy of Allegheny Health Network)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Pittsburgh, PA) Allegheny Health Network’s (AHN) Allegheny General (AGH), Jefferson, Forbes and Wexford hospitals have now earned the highest possible rating from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) for their comprehensive esophagectomy program, which places it among a select group of top-performing health systems in the nation for esophageal cancer surgery.
This prestigious designation reflects “better than expected” outcomes and positions respective network programs within the top tier of programs nationwide and this is an achievement that is reached by only a small percentage of participating centers.
Just 17 out of more than 120 eligible programs demonstrated “better than expected” performance for esophagectomy specifically in the STS Spring 2026 Harvest Composite Quality Ratings.
Esophagectomy is a procedure to remove part or all of the esophagus, which is the tube connecting the mouth and stomach, and this procedure is most commonly performed to treat esophageal cancer and is considered one of the most technically demanding operations in thoracic surgery.
The STS ratings are based on rigorous, risk-adjusted analyses of patient outcomes that are collected through the STS General Thoracic Surgery Database, which is considered one of the most comprehensive clinical registries in the country.
These latest ratings reflect a three-year evaluation period, specfically from January 1st, 2023 through December 31st, 2025, and they include only programs that meet certain data, quality and volume standards.
These ratings evaluate complication rates, operative death, overall patient outcomes and survival, among other areas.