Quality of care in breast cancer centers: Results of benchmarking by the German Cancer Society and German Society for Breast Diseases

A total of 218 breast cancer centers, with 274 operating sites, have been certified since 2003 in accordance with the criteria set out by the German Cancer Society (Deutsche Krebsgesellschaft) and the German Society for Breast Diseases (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Senologie). Most of these centers are located in Germany, but centers in Austria, Switzerland, and Italy have also been certified. This paper presents the results for quality indicators (QIs) from 2009 to 2012, based on data from 195,342 primary breast cancer patients, in order to illustrate the development and progress of these centers. Descriptive results on interdisciplinary collaboration (6 QIs), guideline adherence (15 QIs), and specialist expertise (7 QIs) are reported over time. Fulfillment of the certification requirements was high and remained relatively stable over time, with the extent of variation between sites declining. Sites that do not reach the target values are asked to comment on the discrepancies, and their comments, as well as the QI results, are used by centers and auditors during an on-site auditing process and to constantly revise the QIs set out by the guideline and the certification commission.