Hospital Rankings and Evaluations for Breast Reconstruction Surgery in Albany in 2025

Introduction

Breast reconstruction surgery is a significant and life - changing procedure for many women in Albany. Whether it's following a mastectomy due to breast cancer or for other congenital or traumatic reasons, choosing the right hospital and doctor is of utmost importance. This article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the hospital rankings and evaluations for breast reconstruction surgery in Albany, including details about top hospitals, available procedures, patient experiences, and more.

Hospital Rankings in Albany

US News Best Hospitals Rankings

US News ranks hospitals based on their performance in complex care in medical specialties and common procedures. In Albany, several hospitals are recognized for their high - quality care:

• St. Peter's Hospital - Albany: Ranked #1 in Albany, NY. It is high performing in 2 specialties and 15 procedures/conditions. This hospital offers comprehensive breast surgery, including breast conservation surgery, advanced breast conserving surgery (oncoplastic surgery), and breast reconstruction in combination with mastectomy. Their breast surgeons are highly - skilled, board - certified, and fellowship - trained, and the surgical teams work in state - of - the - art procedure rooms.
• Albany Medical Center: Ranked #2 in Albany, NY. It is rated high performing in 11 adult procedures and conditions and is a general medical and surgical facility as well as a teaching hospital. The evaluation also includes data from Albany Medical Center South - Clinical Campus. For breast reconstruction, the hospital's plastic and reconstructive surgery department performs a significant number of breast repairs and reconstructions, with 92 procedures performed annually.

Breakdown of Albany Medical Center's Rankings

Albany Medical Center has various rankings in different medical areas, which also reflect on its overall ability to support breast reconstruction surgery in a holistic manner:

Evaluations of Hospitals in Albany for Breast Reconstruction

Albany Medical Center

Patient Experience

Patient experience scores are based on surveys taken from inpatients after discharge. Some key aspects include:

• Overall Satisfaction: 2 stars out of 5, indicating that patients' feelings about their hospital stay and discharge were moderately positive.
• Willingness to Recommend: 3 out of 5, meaning a significant number of patients would recommend the hospital to others.
• Satisfaction with Doctors’ Communications: 2 out of 5, suggesting there is room for improvement in how doctors listen and explain things to patients.
• Satisfaction with Nurses’ Communications: 3 out of 5, which shows a relatively better performance by nurses in communicating with patients.
• Satisfaction with efforts to prevent medication harm: 1 out of 5, highlighting a significant area for improvement in this regard.
• Satisfaction with quality of discharge information: 3 out of 5, indicating that patients generally received adequate information about post - discharge care.
• Satisfaction with involvement in recovery: 1 out of 5, showing that there is a need to better involve patients in their recovery planning.
• Satisfaction with staff responsiveness: 2 out of 5, suggesting that the hospital could improve the promptness of help when needed.
• Satisfaction with hospital room cleanliness: 2 out of 5, meaning there is room for improvement in maintaining clean hospital rooms and bathrooms.
• Satisfaction with noise volume: Scores were not provided in great detail, but this is an aspect that could impact patient comfort.

Health Equity

Health equity is an important factor in hospital evaluations. For Albany Medical Center:

• Racial Disparities in Outcomes: There is a significant disparity in readmission prevention after knee replacement for black patients compared to white patients.
• Charity Care: The hospital's spending on free and discounted care for uninsured patients is similar to other hospitals, and the representation of low - income patients is also similar to others. However, the representation of non - white patients, including black, Asian American and Pacific Islander patients, is lower than the community, and there is insufficient data on Hispanic and Native American patients.
• Preventive Care for Black Residents: The preventive care within the community is substantially less equitable for black residents compared to non - black residents, and it is also less equitable compared to the national average. The trend over time in disparities is worsening.

Leapfrog Group Ratings

The Leapfrog Group evaluates hospitals on various safety and quality measures. For Albany Medical Center:

• Patient Safety and Rights: It has a mixed performance. For example, in billing ethics, it has more limited achievement, while in health care equity, it has more achieved the standard.
• Preventing Patient Harm: It has made some achievements in nurse staffing, with a more considerable achievement in the percentage of nursing staff who are registered nurses and those with a bachelor's degree in nursing. It also has a good record in hand - washing and effective leadership to prevent errors.
• Medication Safety: It has achieved the standard in safe medication ordering and made considerable achievements in safe medication administration, but has more limited achievement in medication reconciliation and medication documentation for elective outpatient surgery patients.
• Healthcare - Associated Infections: It has achieved the standard in reducing C. difficile infection and made considerable achievements in reducing other infections such as central - line associated blood stream infections, catheter - associated urinary tract infections, and MRSA infections. However, it has more limited achievement in surgical site infection after colon surgery.
• Specialty Care: In critical care, it has achieved the standard in having specially trained doctors care for critical care patients. In pediatric care, it has limited achievement in the experience of children and their parents but good performance in radiation dose for pediatric scans and some achievement in congenital heart surgery for infants. In maternity care, it has achieved the standard in high - risk deliveries, episiotomies, screening newborns for jaundice, and preventing blood clots in women undergoing cesarean section, but has more limited achievement in cesarean sections.

St. Peter's Hospital - Albany

Although specific detailed evaluations like those of Albany Medical Center may not be as comprehensively presented, St. Peter's Hospital is known for its expertise in breast surgery. It offers a range of breast - related procedures:

• Breast Conservation Surgery: This is a common procedure, such as lumpectomy, where the tumor and some surrounding breast tissue are removed.
• Advanced Breast Conserving Surgery (Oncoplastic Surgery): The hospital's breast surgeons are specially trained in this cutting - edge technique, which combines plastic surgery and surgical oncology to conserve breast tissue and use the patient's own tissue for reconstruction after cancer removal.
• Breast Reconstruction and Mastectomy: Mastectomy involves removing the whole breast tissue along with the cancerous tumor. Breast reconstruction can be done simultaneously or at a later date, and the surgeons will consult with patients to determine the best option.

Doctors for Breast Reconstruction Surgery in Albany

There are several highly - rated doctors in Albany who perform breast reconstruction surgery. Healthgrades has identified 21 doctors who perform breast surgical procedures in the area, with ratings ranging from 3 - star to 5 - star providers. Some of the top - rated doctors include:

Types of Breast Reconstruction Procedures

Tissue Expansion with an Implant

This is a common breast reconstruction method. It involves placing an expander under the skin and chest muscle. Over a period of weeks or months, the expander is injected with a saline solution to stretch the skin. Once the skin is stretched and a pocket is created, the expander is removed and replaced with a breast implant, similar to breast augmentation. This is often an outpatient procedure with minimal recovery time. If a woman's tissue does not need expansion, an implant can be placed directly without the expander.

Flap Reconstruction

Flap reconstruction uses tissue from the back, abdomen, or buttocks to form the new breast. In some cases, the tissue and attached blood vessels are moved through the body to the breast area, while in others, the tissue is removed and then relocated. The reconstructed breast with this method is made of the patient's own living tissue, feels very natural, and usually lasts a lifetime. However, recovery is longer as there are two surgical sites (the reconstructed breast and the donor site), and the surgeon must reattach living tissue and ensure a viable blood supply.

Oncoplastic Surgery

This is a combination of plastic surgery techniques and surgical oncology. It aims to conserve breast tissue while removing the area of concern. Surgeons design patterns to optimize the shape of the breast after lumpectomy, preserving the natural breast shape and successfully removing the cancerous area without causing deformity.

Recovery from Breast Reconstruction Surgery

Recovery time and process depend on the type of reconstruction procedure:

Implant - Based Reconstruction

• First Few Days: Patients usually stay overnight in the hospital and return home the next day. A drainage tube may be used to remove excess fluids from the operative area.
• 1 to 2 Weeks: It is normal to feel tired and sore. Stitches are usually removed within a week, and the surgeon may prescribe medication for pain.
• 6 Weeks: Most women feel back to normal. It is important to avoid lifting, sports, and sex for up to 6 weeks. Scarring will gradually fade over time.

Flap Reconstruction

Recovery is longer due to the complexity of the procedure and the presence of two surgical sites. Patients need to be more cautious during the recovery period and may take longer to regain full strength and range of motion.

Oncoplastic Procedures

These procedures generally have shorter recovery times, typically from 1 to 2 weeks. However, patients still need to follow the surgeon's instructions for a smooth recovery.

Cost and Insurance Coverage

Federal law requires medical insurance to cover breast reconstruction in most cases. Hospitals and surgical centers usually have staff to help patients determine their coverage and complete the necessary paperwork. However, patients should still confirm their specific insurance policies and requirements with their providers.

Conclusion

In Albany, there are several hospitals and highly - skilled doctors offering breast reconstruction surgery. St. Peter's Hospital - Albany and Albany Medical Center are among the top - ranked hospitals in the area, each with its own strengths and areas of expertise. Patients can choose from different types of breast reconstruction procedures, depending on their individual needs and circumstances. However, it is important to consider not only the technical aspects of the surgery but also patient experience, health equity, and recovery processes.

If you or someone you know is considering breast reconstruction surgery in Albany, take the time to research hospitals and doctors, read patient reviews, and have in - depth consultations. You can explore more about breast reconstruction options by reaching out to the hospitals or consulting the local medical community. Share this article with others who may find it helpful in making informed decisions about breast reconstruction surgery.