Higher-quality care at COC-accredited hospitals significantly lowers mortality in colorectal cancer patients.

• High-tier COC hospitals have a 5-year mortality hazard of 0.63 compared to medium-tier hospitals.
• Treatment at COC-accredited hospitals correlates with reduced 1-year mortality: high-tier HR 0.81, medium-tier HR 0.91.

Surgeons should consider COC accreditation for patient referrals to enhance surgical outcomes.

• Only 14% of assessed hospitals were rated high-tier based on outcome methods, emphasizing the need for better quality care across institutions.