Allegheny Health Network’s Allegheny General, Jefferson, Forbes and Wexford hospitals have earned the highest possible rating from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, a not-for-profit medical organization representing cardiothoracic surgeons, researchers and allied healthcare professionals.

The hospitals received the rating for their esophagectomy program, placing it among a select group of top-performing health systems in the nation for esophageal cancer surgery.

Esophagectomy, a procedure to remove part or all of the esophagus, is most commonly performed to treat esophageal cancer and is considered one of the most technically demanding operations in thoracic surgery, according to AHN.

Society of Thoracic Surgeons’ ratings are based on risk-adjusted analyses of patient outcomes collected through the society’s General Thoracic Surgery Database.