PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island Hospital and The Miriam Hospital today were honored by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island with designation as Blue Distinction Centers for Complex and Rare Cancers. They are the state’s only hospitals to be so recognized.

“We’re pleased to receive this distinction for our program as it reflects our dedication to providing the highest level of cancer care even in unusual or complicated cases,” Dr. Fred J. Schiffman, medical director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Rhode Island Hospital and The Miriam Hospital, said in a statement this morning. “This important achievement is further recognition of the excellent care patients of Rhode Island have access to while remaining close to home.”

Rhode Island Hospital and The Miriam both were recognized by BCBSRI for excellence in treatment of esophageal, gastric, liver, pancreatic, rectal and thyroid cancer. Rhode Island Hospital also was recognized for its treatment of acute leukemia and brain cancer.

Blue Distinction Centers for Complex and Rare Cancers are facilities within the BSBS network that offer comprehensive inpatient cancer care for adults, delivered by multidisciplinary teams with special expertise and training in the rate and complex cancers that comprise about 15 percent of new cases each year. Selection criteria include:

• Subspecialty training, and sufficient volume of experience, in the treatment of rare and complex cancers.

• Dept of expertise across cancer disciplines in medicine, surgery, radiation oncology, pathology and radiology.

• Ongoing quality management and improvement programs for cancer care.

• Ongoing commitment to using clinical data registries and offering access to appropriate clinical research.

The designation was developed by Blue Cross & Blue Shield in cooperation with the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and input from leading clinicials and other professional organizations.

Lifespan is a nonprofit health care system – including The Miriam, Bradley, Newport and Rhode Island/Hasbro Children’s hospitals – that has 11,140 employees, 2,677 affiliated physicians and 1,155 licensed beds as of the end of fiscal 2006. Additional information is available at www.RhodeIslandHospital.org and www.lifespan.org.TMH.