LOUISVILLE, KY (March 23, 2016) – Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield has recognized five Baptist Health affiliated hospitals for quality and cost-efficiency by designating each as a Blue Distinction Center+ or Blue Distinction Center for certain areas of specialty care.
In the specialty areas in which the hospitals were eligible, Baptist Health affiliated facilities earned 14 awards, about 30 percent of the total.*
Recognized were:
- Baptist Health Lexington — Blue Distinction Center+ in cardiac care, spine surgery, knee and hip replacement surgery and weight-loss surgery – gastric stapling. Also a Blue Distinction Center designation in weight-loss surgery for gastric banding.
- Baptist Health Louisville – Blue Distinction Center+ designation in cardiac care, knee and hip replacement surgery, maternity care and weight-loss surgery for gastric stapling and gastric banding.
- Baptist Health Madisonville — Blue Distinction Center+ designation in knee and hip replacement surgery.
- Hardin Memorial Health (a Baptist Health-managed hospital) — Blue Distinction Center+ designation for maternity care and knee and hip replacement surgery.
- Baptist Health La Grange — Blue Distinction Center designation for maternity care.
The designations signal to consumers and employers that these facilities have proven expertise in delivering specialty care and are a valuable tool in making healthcare decisions.
“Congratulations to Baptist Health hospitals for earning the Blue Distinction Center+ or Center designation in their specialty areas. The designations, and the hospitals’ participation in initiatives that improve quality and safety, demonstrate a focus on continuous improvement in patient care,” said Divya Cantor, MD, Anthem’s senior medical director.
“These designations set Baptist Health hospitals apart, and underscore the excellence of our treat-you-like-family patient care – and our emphasis on quality and patient safety,” said Steve Hanson, Baptist Health CEO.
The evaluation criteria are based on:
- The medical team’s expertise
- The number of times the facility has performed the procedure
- The facility’s track record for procedure results
Research shows that facilities designated as Blue Distinction Centers+ and Centers demonstrate better quality and improved outcomes for patients, compared with their peers. On average, Blue Distinction Centers+ also are more than 20 percent more cost-efficient.
For more information about the program, and for a complete listing of designated facilities, visit www.bcbs.com/bluedistinction
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*Baptist Health hospitals do not perform transplants. The category of Centers for Complex and Rare Cancers, in which only UK Healthcare was listed for Kentucky, was also not included in the totals.
About Baptist Health
Founded in 1924 in Louisville, Kentucky, Baptist Health is a full-spectrum health system dedicated to improving the health of the communities it serves. The Baptist Health family consists of eight hospitals (seven owned and one managed); employed and independent physicians; more than 170 outpatient facilities, physician practices and services, including urgent care and retail-based clinics; outpatient diagnostic and surgery centers; home care; occupational medicine and physical therapy clinics; and fitness centers. Its subsidiary, Baptist Health Plan, provides health insurance, managed care services and administrative services to employers, employees and their dependents, serving members in Kentucky and surrounding states.
Baptist Health’s seven owned hospitals include more than 2,100 licensed beds in Corbin, La Grange, Lexington, Louisville, Madisonville, Paducah and Richmond. Baptist Health manages Hardin Memorial Hospital, a 300-bed hospital in Elizabethtown.
Baptist’s physician network includes more than 450 employed physicians and more than 1,600 independent physicians. It employs more than 16,000 people in Kentucky and surrounding states.
About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the trade name of Anthem Health Plans of Kentucky, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. ®ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Additional information about Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Kentucky is available at www.anthem.com. Also, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/askAnthem, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AskAnthem.
About Blue Distinction Centers
Blue Distinction Centers (BDC) met overall quality measures for patient safety and outcomes, developed with input from the medical community. A Local Blue Plan may require additional criteria for facilities located in its own service area; for details, contact your Local Blue Plan. Blue Distinction Centers+ (BDC+) also met cost measures that address consumers’ need for affordable healthcare. Each facility’s cost of care is evaluated using data from its Local Blue Plan. Facilities in CA, ID, NY, PA, and WA may lie in two Local Blue Plans’ areas, resulting in two evaluations for cost of care; and their own Local Blue Plans decide whether one or both cost of care evaluation(s) must meet BDC+ national criteria. National criteria for BDC and BDC+ are displayed on www.bcbs.com. Individual outcomes may vary. For details on a provider’s in-network status or your own policy’s coverage, contact your Local Blue Plan and ask your provider before making an appointment. Neither Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association nor any Blue Plans are responsible for non-covered charges or other losses or damages resulting from Blue Distinction or other provider finder information or care received from Blue Distinction or other providers.
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