Becker's Hospital Review

14 EXECUTIVE BRIEFING 3 EXECUTIVE BRIEFING SPONSORED BY A legacy of compassion & excellence: How City of Hope is advancing cancer care in the 21st century Since its genesis in 1913 as a tuberculosis treatment center, City of Hope (Duarte, Calif.) has grown to become one of the nation's leading cancer research and treatment organizations and one of the leading research centers for diabetes and other life-threatening illnesses. Designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as a Comprehensive Cancer Center, City of Hope is recognized as being at the forefront of the battle against cancer by combining scientific advances with personalized and compassionate care. Recently, City of Hope began a new chapter by opening the City of Hope Orange County Lennar Foundation Cancer Center (Irvine, Calif.) and acquiring Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), which added treatment facilities in Atlanta, Chicago and Phoenix. City of Hope is now one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the nation. With its reputation for providing high-quality cancer care and the latest life-saving treatments, City of Hope's designated Comprehensive Cancer Center has been recognized with the highest ranking possible — a rating of "Exceptional" from the NCI — and is ranked by US News & World Report as one of the nation's top 10 "Best Hospitals" for Cancer. Now, City of Hope is extending its industry-leading innovation and proven standards across its expanding clinical network to deliver optimal cancer care to even more patients, families and communities nationwide. To learn more about City of Hope's evolution, its current focus and the organization's plans for the future, Becker's Hospital Review spoke with Vijay Trisal, MD, surgical oncologist and chief medical officer at City of Hope. Dr. Trisal joined City of Hope in 2001 as a fellow in surgical oncology. Over the past 22 years, his roles and responsibilities have included conducting basic scientific research, developing City of Hope's community network, helping lead implementation of the organization's Epic EHR, overseeing the quality of care that City of Hope delivers, and having oversight of its graduate medical education. Compassion and excellence City of Hope was founded with one purpose, Dr. Trisal said: "To help people who are faced with life-threatening diseases and to take care of those patients." He said City of Hope's steadfast work in the field of oncology has led to the development of processes and expertise that result in the best outcomes for patients. But what really differentiates City of Hope is the compassionate care the organization consistently delivers to those who are most in need. This may be when a person is challenged with a particularly difficult diagnosis or is in a long battle with a disease and has already exhausted several lines of treatment and is in need of an innovative approach. "That is what we are geared toward," Dr. Trisal said. Surveys of patients who have received care at City of Hope bear this out. These surveys show that patients feel that they've been the recipients of special levels of compassion at City of Hope compared to other providers. Transformation and growth amid disruption Despite the many challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, City of Hope continued to grow during this time. The number of physicians recruited to join City of Hope has doubled over the past few years to more than 600 cancer-focused physicians, and the number of surgeries increased dramatically. Also, City of Hope acquired the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), a leader in applying genomic analysis to diagnostics and therapeutics for cancer and other diseases, helping make precision medicine a reality for patients. TGen enables City of Hope to sequence the genome of a tumor and the germline of a patient. That information is used to identify tumor mutations and then create targets for those mutations, which may result in using an off-the-shelf drug or manufacturing a drug, such as a monoclonal antibody or a targeted therapy. Together, TGen and City of Hope are transforming the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of cancer and other life-threatening diseases. While TGen is a research-focused organization, this collaboration is accelerating new discoveries and enables City of Hope to use precision medicine in the clinic when treating patients. From regional to national — carving a path to reach more patients In addition to its main campus just north of Los Angeles, City of Hope has expanded to more than 30 community practices in Southern California. In 2019, City of Hope announced plans to invest $1 billion to build a comprehensive cancer campus in Orange County, which opened in 2022. That same year, the opportunity arose to partner with and acquire CTCA, a leading cancer-focused organization with hospitals in Atlanta, Chicago and Phoenix. CTCA already had a national patient care network and shared a similar compassionate, patient-centric culture with City of Hope. This

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