Awards

The Pediatric and Congenital Adult Cardiology unit of IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, nominated among the best hospitals in the world in Cardiology, carries out every year over 600 hemodynamic procedures for the diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart disease on patients ranging from the first days of life until adulthood. An activity that, together with that of cardiac surgery, makes Policlinico San Donato the first center in Italy for the treatment of congenital heart disease, backed by over 20 years of experience, is at the forefront of care and excellence in scientific research.

Excellence in Cardiac Surgery and Cardiology

Policlinico San Donato is the first heart surgery center in Italy, in terms of number and complexity of cases. We have carried out over 53,000 heart surgeries since 1988, more than 1,300 in 2018 alone. With the most advanced techniques, including minimally invasive surgery without sternotomy, we treat all heart and great vessel pathologies with a personalized approach. In our electrophysiology laboratories, among the most innovative in the world, we treat all types of cardiac arrhythmias, from the most common to the rarest forms, such as Brugada Syndrome.

In fact, at the Urological Research Institute (URI) of IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, we do preclinical and clinical research in the urological and andrological fields. Specifically, in URI we do translational research, i.e. basic researchers and doctors work together, exchange ideas and opinions so that every day the discoveries of preclinical research can be brought to the patient as daily diagnostic and therapy tools. In URI we study oncological diseases and try to understand how to attack cancers of the prostate, bladder, kidney and testicle in the most effective and innovative way. We are also looking for new therapies for benign diseases of the urogenital system, which afflict the daily life of many people who complain of urinary difficulties, urinary incontinence and the appearance of problems related to the presence of stones in the kidneys or along the ureters. In URI we study kidney function associated with malignant disease and in the course of follow-up following surgery. At URI, we research to promote not just life, but its quality, sexual health and the desire for parenthood.

As evidence of the excellence of our research, the Institute of Urological Research of Ospedale San Raffaele has been consistently in first place since 2009 for the number of scientific contributions to the European and American Congress of Urology, the two most important thematic congresses in the world.

IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele has been recognized by the Lombardy region as 3rd level Reference Center, thanks to the skills acquired in this area and the use of advanced technologies for the treatment and management of a patient with cardiogenic shock, refractory cardiac arrest and severe acute respiratory failure syndrome. 

The 3rd level Reference Centers must respect some structural / organizational characteristics and be able to manage the Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation treatment with access to long-term therapies and / or transplantation (on-site or in branches) and to activate a mobile Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation team (24/24 and 7/7).

Accreditation of the Italian group for bone marrow transplantation (GITMO)

The San Raffaele Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplant Program – CIC 813 Transplant Program in Milan – has been accredited by the Italian Group for bone marrow transplantation since 2015.

GITMO is an Accreditation process of Transplant Centers belonging to the Italian Group for Bone Marrow Transplantation (GITMO), included in the network of the National Transplant Center, and for the research of non-related donors from the Registry (MUD) or by Umbilical Blood Cord Banks (SCO), belonging to the Italian Bone Marrow Donor Registry.

The regulation of the activities of the Transplant Centers responds to the name and to national and international directives relating to the path of collection, manipulation, storage and infusion of hematopoietic stem cells. The close connection between scientific societies such as GITMO and regulatory bodies such as the National Transplant Center guarantees the development of highly secure and traceability processes, necessary for the provision of highly complex health services.

The Vein Center, part of the Vascular Surgery Unit of IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, is an interdisciplinary center of excellence dedicated to the care of patients suffering from pathologies of the deep and superficial venous system and oriented towards clinical scientific research. In particular, it is focused on the treatment of the various stages of venous insufficiency and venous thrombosis.

Since 2019 it has been recognized by the European Board of Phlebology of the UEMS (Union Europeenne des Medecins Specialistes) as an Accredited European Center for Training in Phlebology.

On the other hand, in 2021 it obtained the Advanced Level Phlebological Center Certification from the Italian Society of Phlebology (SIF).

The International Association of Manual Lymphatic Drainage (AIDMOV) was founded in Lausanne in 1981 by Dr. Vodder. 
Dr. Emil Vodder was born in Copenhagen on February 20, 1896. He became interested in the lymphatic system very early on and studied the writings of Bartholin, Carrel and Cecil Drinker in particular. The entrance of Dr. Emil Vodder in the world of Lymphology dates back to 1932, when he began to study and develop his Manual Lymphatic Drainage method.
In the spring of 1936 there was the world exhibition “Santé et Beauté” in Paris, during which Emil Vodder made his method, which he called “Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD)”, known to the public for the first time.
Mrs. Estrid Vodder, a naturopath, effectively collaborated in the elaboration of MLD, since its discovery by her husband Emil Vodder in 1932.
She supported him in his work and in his series of courses, up to the last that he held in Lausanne in 1982. Emil and Estrid Vodder did not cease teaching and spreading their discovery, founding several schools throughout Europe.
 

Bollino Rosa – Hospital for women

Since 2007 ONDA (National Observatory on Women's Health) has rewarded Italian hospitals that offer services dedicated to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the main female pathologies, placing women at the center of attention with the award of the Pink Stamps. The San Raffaele was awarded this recognition (3 Pink Stamps both for the San Raffaele Hospital and for San Raffaele Turro) for the constant attention and commitment in taking charge of the problems most closely related to the female sphere, in which various Operational Units of the hospital are involved.

More details can be found directly on the website of the Bollino Rosa ONDA.

In 2019, Ospedale San Raffaele was awarded the BFH certificate having passed the 3rd and last phase of a long process that involved three different levels of external evaluations by UNICEF-WHO (phase 1 in 2013 and phase 2 in 2017.)

A hospital is declared a "Baby Friendly" when it supports and promotes exclusive breastfeeding by implementing specific company policies and an internal reorganization aimed at guaranteeing mutual collaboration between different professional figures.

A commitment not to accept free or cheap samples of breast milk substitutes, baby bottles or bottle nozzles is also requested and verified.

The promotion of breastfeeding has long been considered a public health priority, based on evidence medicine, such as to be expressly indicated by UNICEF as a right in Article 24 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The considerable clinical variability of Erdheim-Chester disease and their rarity requires the correct recognition of histiocytosis and its effective treatment requires evaluation of suspected cases in highly specialized centers.

San Raffaele Hospital is one of these centers. In particular, the Immunology, Rheumatology, Allergology and Rare Diseases Unit is the reference structure for Erdheim-Chester disease (non-Langherhans cell histiocytosis) and is part of the Erdheim-Chester Global Alliance.

Ospedale San Raffaele is one of the most important centers in the world for the diagnosis, treatment and research of neuroendocrine tumors. The hospital has in fact been certified as a European Center of Excellence by the European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society and accredited by the European Community as an ERN-EURACAN reference center.

The Ophthalmology Unit of the San Raffaele Hospital is accredited by the European Board of Ophthalmology (EBO), the body that supervises education standards in ophthalmology in Europe.

To support patients suffering from rare diseases, the European Reference Networks (ERNs) have been created in Europe, which identify accredited centers and specialists for some subgroups of these diseases.

San Raffaele has been a member of 3 ERNs networks since 2017:

• “Endo-ERN” for endocrine pathologies
• “ERN EURACAN” for solid tumors in adults
• “ERN RITA” for immunodeficiencies, inflammatory and autoimmune pathologies.

To support patients suffering from rare diseases, the European Reference Networks (ERNs) have been created in Europe, which identify accredited centers and specialists for some subgroups of these diseases.

San Raffaele has been a member of 3 ERNs networks since 2017:

• “Endo-ERN” for endocrine pathologies
• “ERN EURACAN” for solid tumors in adults
• “ERN RITA” for immunodeficiencies, inflammatory and autoimmune pathologies.

The nine best European University hospitals have come together to share their expertise in healthcare, research and education, thus founding the European University Hospital Alliance (EUHA). IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele is the only Italian hospital to be part of this prestigious alliance. The nine founding members of the European University Hospital Alliance are leading university hospitals in their countries, reference points for research and treatment of many diseases, and together they cover 100% of the existing European Reference Networks. In addition to the San Raffaele Hospital, the other members are the Vall d'Hebron in Barcelona, the Charité in Berlin, the UZ Leuven, the King's Health Partners in London, the Assistance Publique Hôpitaux in Paris, Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm and the Vienna General Hospital.

The Ophthalmology Unit of the San Raffaele Hospital was chosen by the European School for Advanced Studies in Ophthalmology (ESASO) as the location for fellowship in the field of retinal diseases.

The Ophthalmology Unit of the San Raffaele Hospital is part of the European Vision Institute (EVI.CT.SE), a European network of ophthalmological clinical research centers, dedicated to conducting clinical research activities with the highest quality standards, important resource for the development of translational research with particular attention to industrial innovation for medical and pharmaceutical devices.

The Ophthalmology Unit of the San Raffaele Hospital has been recognized by the International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO) as an adequate facility to welcome specialists from all countries of the world.

ACC, the National Oncology Network founded in 2002 by the Ministry of Health, is joined by 28 Research Clinical Institutes (IRCCS), Italian Association of Cancer Patients (AIMaC), Italian Sarcoma Group, National Center for Adrotherapy (CNAO) Foundation and Istituto Superiore di Sanità – which houses the offices.

The mission of the Alliance Against Cancer is to bring technological and organizational innovation from basic research to clinical practice, raising and standardizing the level of care, treatment and rehabilitation of cancer patients throughout the country.

CARDIOLOGICAL NETWORK, the largest Italian research network in the cardiovascular field, promoted by the Ministry of Health and established in 2017 to foster cooperation between Research Clinical Institutes (IRCCS) through the creation of an information and collaboration network between Cardiovascular IRCCS and / or significantly engaged in the cardiovascular field (under public and / or private law). The mission of the CARDIOLOGICAL NETWORK is to facilitate and promote scientific and technological research in the field of cardiovascular diseases and related risk factors with the aim of improving diagnosis, therapies and treatment.

Research Clinical Institutes (IRCCS) for the treatment of diseases of the musculoskeletal system

The Galeazzi boasts, since April 2006, the recognition of a Research Clinical Institutes, promoting scientific research activities aimed at developing fundamental knowledge in specific sectors of biomedicine and public health, in the area of apparatus pathologies locomotive. It represents a center of excellence in clinical and pre-clinical biomedical research and in teaching activities as a teaching center for the Degree Course of Medicine and Surgery in agreement with the University of Milan.

The Musculoskeletal System Network (RAMS) facilitates and promotes the prevention, treatment and research on musculoskeletal diseases.

RAMS aims to promote collaboration between IRCCS, for better prevention, diagnosis, therapy and treatment of musculoskeletal diseases, chronic diseases that are constantly increasing also due to the aging of the population.

The IRCCS Network of Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation (RIN), the largest Italian research network in the field, was founded in 2017 by the Ministry of Health to stimulate collaboration between the Research Clinical Institutes (IRCCS), promote the dissemination of information on clinical-scientific activities and coordinate actions of international importance aimed at increasing the importance and competitiveness of the sector.

The Network also promotes and facilitates scientific and technological research and training activities by promoting the exchange of scientific data and results, access to complex technologies and the development of common projects to improve prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of specific diseases (neurological, neuro-psychiatric and related pathologies) and to transfer the results of research into the industrial chain (technology transfer). 29 Institutes are currently associated with the Network.

Policlinico San Donato is home to the Institute of Medical and Surgical Sciences and, since 1998, to the "Edmondo Malan" Interdepartmental Center for the Study and Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases, the second best known cardiovascular disease center in the world.

Since 2007, the Galeazzi Orthopedic Institute has become a member of the ISOC-International Society of Orthopedic Centers, recognized as one of the 20 institutes of excellence in the orthopedic field, from 16 different countries around the world.

The IRCCS Galeazzi Orthopedic Institute is also distinguished by the high volume of femur rupture operations treated within 48 hours, with an efficacy of 98% of cases. In this context, the structure, in the following years, obtained the primacy according to the National Outcome Evaluation Program of AGENAS (National Agency for National Health Services).

The San Raffaele Quality Management System is certified according to the international standard UNI EN ISO 9001: 2015 (certificate n° 9122.SRAF). The certificate was issued by IMQ-CSQ, one of the primary certification bodies.

The purpose of this certification is to give assurance, with an adequate level of trust, to operate in compliance with the requirements of the standard.

Basically it means putting the needs of users at the center of one's attention, striving to continuously improve the quality of services and verify their achievement, and have a system for detecting anomalies for their timely solution, in the interest of patients and other parties involved.

Newsweek and Statista have included IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele in the World's Best Smart Hospitals 2021 ranking, which lists the world's top 250 medical institutions leading in smart technologies.

World’s Best Hospital 2021

Newsweek magazine has included the IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele in the rankings of the World's Best Hospital 2021 (The best hospitals in the world in 2021) and World's Best Specialized Hospitals 2020/2021 (The best specialized hospitals in the world in 2020/2021) for specialties of oncology, endocrinology, cardiology and neurology.

The rankings, created by the US magazine in collaboration with the Statista agency, were drawn up thanks to online interviews with over 40,000 healthcare professionals from over 20 countries around the world.

World’s Best Hospital 2021

Newsweek magazine has included the IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele in the rankings of the World's Best Hospital 2021 (The best hospitals in the world in 2021) and World's Best Specialized Hospitals 2020/2021 (The best specialized hospitals in the world in 2020/2021) for specialties of oncology, endocrinology, cardiology and neurology.

The rankings, created by the US magazine in collaboration with the Statista agency, were drawn up thanks to online interviews with over 40,000 healthcare professionals from over 20 countries around the world

World’s Best Specialized Hospitals 2020/2021

The IRCCS Policlinico San Donato is listed among the best hospitals specializing in cardiology in the world and in Italy by the American magazine Newsweek which included it in the World’s Best Specialized Hospitals 2020/2021 and Top Hospitals Italy rankings.

The ranking, drawn up in collaboration with Statista, the agency specializing in market surveys, is based on online interviews with over 40,000 healthcare professionals from over 20 countries around the world.

World’s Best Specialized Hospitals 2020/2021

The IRCCS Policlinico San Donato is listed among the best hospitals specializing in cardiology in the world and in Italy by the American magazine Newsweek which included it in the World’s Best Specialized Hospitals 2020/2021 and Top Hospitals Italy rankings.

The ranking, drawn up in collaboration with Statista, the agency specializing in market surveys, is based on online interviews with over 40,000 healthcare professionals from over 20 countries around the world

World’s Best Specialized Hospitals 2020/2021

The Research Clinical Institutes IRCCS Galeazzi Orthopedic Institute has been included in the World’s Best Specialized Hospitals 2020/2021 ranking by Newsweek magazine, for the orthopedics specialty.

The ranking of the US magazine, in collaboration with the investigative agency Statista, was drawn up on the basis of online interviews with over 40,000 healthcare professionals from more than 20 countries around the world.

CARDIOLOGICAL NETWORK, the largest Italian research network in the cardiovascular field, promoted by the Ministry of Health and established in 2017 to foster cooperation between Research Clinical Institutes (IRCCS) through the creation of an information and collaboration network between Cardiovascular IRCCS and / or significantly engaged in the cardiovascular field (under public and / or private law). The mission of the CARDIOLOGICAL NETWORK is to facilitate and promote scientific and technological research in the field of cardiovascular diseases and related risk factors with the aim of improving diagnosis, therapies and treatment.

Ospedale San Raffaele is one of the world's most important centers for the diagnosis, treatment and research of neuroendocrine tumors. The hospital has been certified by the European Society of Neuroendocrine Tumors as the European Community as a Specialized Medical Center ERN-EURACAN.

The Clinical Research Unit (CRU) of Ospedale San Raffaele was established in 1999 to create an infrastructure with dedicated staff and in house expertise for conducting clinical trials for genetic diseases. The overall goal of this Unit is the application of basic research discoveries and innovative gene and cell therapy approaches to the treatment of genetic diseases focusing on primary immunodeficiencies, genetic autoimmune diseases, hemoglobinopathies, and lysosomal storage disorders. It provides a suitable environment to translate the results from basic and clinical research into clinical practice and viceversa. The Unit was established through a dedicated grant of the Fondazione Telethon to SR-TIGET and is led by Alessandro Aiuti. During these years, the CRU has been recognized as a center of excellence for the treatment of pediatric and adult patients affected by genetic disorders. It has AIFA self-certification for conduction of Fase I clinical Trial. 

The Urology unit of Policlinico San Donato, directed by Prof. Luca Carmignani, performs over 1,000 surgeries a year and is a Training Center for the International Society of Urology

The European Organisation for Treatment of Trophoblastic Diseases is dedicated to optimize diagnosis, treatment, follow-up and research in Gestational Trophoblastic Disease (GTD) by bringing together knowledge of clinicians and researchers working in the field of GTD in Europe.

The European Reference Networks (ERNs) are virtual networks involving healthcare professionals in Europe. They aim to tackle rare and complex diseases or disorders that require highly specialized treatment and a set of knowledge and resources.

To analyze a patient's diagnosis and treatment, ERN coordinators meet in a virtual advisory board of medical specialists from various disciplines, using a dedicated IT platform and telemedicine tools. In doing so, medical skills and knowledge are shifted, not patients, who can comfortably remain in their supportive home environment.

Gynecologic Oncology Research Unit of Ospedale San Raffaele is in charge of realization and definition of clinical trials that regard the treatment of gynecological cancers, with a strong cooperation with MITO (Multicenter Italian Trial in Ovarian cancer and gynecological malignancies) and other international research groups.

The National Institute for the Treatment of Obesity (INCO) of the San Donato Group has obtained recognition as a Center of Excellence SICOB (Italian Society of Obesity Surgery for Metabolic Diseases) starting from 2016, following the SICOB accreditation that it has acquired since 2010 from the Italian Society of Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Diseases. This recognition is granted only to centers where surgeons and hospitals are in line with the standard criteria of excellence.

Within the General and Oncological Surgery Unit of the Policlinico San Marco there is also the Center for the Surgery of morbid obesity (SICOB recognized center for years): with more than 1,000 operations / year it is among the first centers in Italy both for the number of cases treated with different surgical techniques (Sleeve, mini bypass, by pass, plication) and for the results obtained.

The Stem Cell Transplant Program of the San Raffaele Hospital is recognized at regional level as a joint mixed adult and pediatric center involving the Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, the Pediatric Unit with an Immunohematological address and the Unit of Therapeutic Apheresis (UAT) and the Cell Manipulation Laboratory (CML) of the Immunohematology and Transfusion Medicine Service of the IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital.

The European Reference Networks (ERNs) are virtual networks involving healthcare professionals across Europe. They aim to tackle rare and complex diseases or disorders that require highly specialized treatment and a set of knowledge and resources.

To analyze a patient's diagnosis and treatment, ERN coordinators meet in a virtual advisory board of medical specialists from various disciplines, using a dedicated IT platform and telemedicine tools. In doing so, medical skills and knowledge are shifted, not patients, who can comfortably remain in their supportive home environment.

Medically Assisted Reproduction Centers, since they collect, treat and preserve human reproductive cells, are comparable to tissue institutes.

Therefore, as well as tissue or other cell banks, they must meet the quality and safety requirements established by Legislative Decree 191/2007 and 16/2010, deriving from European directives.

These requirements must be periodically verified by the National Transplant Center and by the Regions and the status of the Center is visible in a European compendium. Our Medically Assisted Procreation (PMA) center is registered in the list of PMA centers of the European compendium of tissue institutes following the inspection carried out by the National Transplant Center (CNT) and by the Lombardy Region for compliance and Legislative Decrees 191/2007 and 16/2010.

CNT: The National Transplant Center (CNT) is the technical-scientific body responsible for coordinating the National Transplant Network used by the Ministry of Health, the Regions and Autonomous Provinces of Trento and Bolzano. Established with the Law 1 April 1999 n. 91 at the Higher Institute of Health, operates according to the guidelines and programming provided by the Ministry of Health, in agreement with the Regions and Autonomous Provinces.

FID Center - INNODIA - IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele for the prevention of type 1 diabetes, in collaboration with the international consortium TrialNet, carries out screening activities based on the search for autoantibodies against β-pancreatic cells for the identification of people at risk for the development of type 1 diabetes. Through this procedure, it is possible to evaluate the risk of future development of type 1 diabetes. In the persons identified, it is possible to study more closely the mechanisms responsible for the disease, to carry out monitoring for early diagnosis and prevention of diabetic ketoacidosis, and, at the same time, to consider interventions aimed at preventing the progression of the disease to the stage of insulin-dependence. 

In 2022 the Onda Foundation (National Observatory on Women's Health) has started to award Italian hospitals that ensure a professional and interdisciplinary approach in diagnostic and therapeutic paths dedicated to patients with prostate cancer with the Bollino Azzurro. IRCCS San Raffaele was awarded this recognition for the constant attention and commitment in the clinical and scientific field, taking care of the complex cases and applying last generation tech. Find out more directly on the ONDA website.