Blue Cross Launches Two New Blue Distinction Center Designations

DETROIT, June 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Cross has added two new categories in the Blue Distinction Center designation programs: Blue Distinction Centers for Spine Surgery(SM) and Blue Distinction Centers for Knee and Hip Replacement(SM).  Hospitals that have earned these designations have met specific quality levels and have demonstrated expertise in delivering quality healthcare for knee and hip replacement or for spine surgery. The designation helps patients choose high quality facilities for needed care in these specific areas.

"Our Blue Distinction program recognizes hospitals with a process of care that achieves higher levels of performance, resulting in overall better outcomes for patients," said Thomas Simmer, M.D., BCBSM senior vice president and chief medical officer. "We congratulate all of our Michigan Blue Distinction Centers for their commitment to providing high quality health care."

The selection criteria used to evaluate facilities were developed with input from a panel of expert physicians and medical organizations. To be designated as a Blue Distinction Center for Knee and Hip Replacement or a Blue Distinction Center for Spine Surgery, the following types of criteria were evaluated: 

• Established acute care inpatient facility, including intensive care, emergency care and a full range of patient support services with full accreditation by a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services-deemed national accreditation organization
• Experience and training of program surgeons, including volume of cases, which is an indication of quality
• Quality management programs, including use of surgical checklists as well as tracking and evaluation of patients' clinical outcomes and the processes used in patient care
• Hospital's use of multidisciplinary care teams that coordinate and streamline patient care, the use of clinical guidelines or care processes, and the processes the care team uses to transition the patients from one clinical setting to the next
• Shared decision-making and pre-operative patient education

Michigan hospitals that have been designated as Blue Distinction Centers for Knee and Hip Replacement include:

Allegiance Health - Jackson

Battle Creek Health System – Battle Creek

Bay Regional Medical Center – Bay City

Borgess Medical Center - Kalamazoo

Botsford Hospital – Farmington Hills

Bronson Methodist Hospital –  Kalamazoo

Covenant Medical Center - Saginaw

Crittenton Hospital Medical Center - Rochester

Genesys Regional Medical Center – Grand Blanc

Henry Ford Hospital - Detroit

Henry Ford Macomb Hospital – Clinton Township

Henry Ford Macomb Hospital - Warren Campus

Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital

Hurley Medical Center - Flint

Ingham Regional Medical Center - Lansing

McLaren Regional Medical Center - Flint

Mercy Hospital - Cadillac

MidMichigan Medical Center - Midland

Northern Michigan Regional Hospital - Petoskey

Oakwood Heritage Hospital –Taylor

Oakwood Hospital & Medical Center - Dearborn

Oakwood Hospital Annapolis Center - Wayne

Providence Hospital and Medical Centers - Southfield

Saint John Hospital and Medical Center - Detroit

Saint John Macomb Oakland Hospital - Macomb Campus - Warren

Saint Joseph Mercy Livingston Hospital – Howell

Saint Joseph Mercy Oakland - Pontiac

Saint Mary's Health Care - Grand Rapids

Sparrow Hospital - Lansing

Spectrum Health Blodgett Hospital – Grand Rapids

Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital – Grand Rapids

St. Joseph Mercy Hospital - Ann Arbor

St. Mary Mercy Hospital - Livonia

University of Michigan Health System – Ann Arbor

William Beaumont Hospital - Royal Oak

William Beaumont Hospital - Grosse Pointe

William Beaumont Hospital - Troy

Michigan hospitals that have been designated as Blue Distinction Centers for Spine Surgery include:

Allegiance Health - Jackson

Borgess Medical Center - Kalamazoo

Bronson Methodist Hospital –Kalamazoo

Covenant Medical Center - Saginaw

Henry Ford Hospital - Detroit

Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital

Marquette General Health System

McLaren Regional Medical Center - Flint

Saint John Hospital and Medical Center - Detroit

Saint Joseph Mercy Oakland - Pontiac

Saint Mary's Health Care - Grand Rapids

Spectrum Health Blodgett Hospital – Grand Rapids

Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital – Grand Rapids

St. Joseph Mercy Hospital - Ann Arbor

University of Michigan Health System – Ann Arbor

William Beaumont Hospital - Royal Oak

William Beaumont Hospital - Troy

For a complete listing of Blue Distinction Centers for Spine Surgery and Blue Distinction Centers for Knee and Hip Replacement, or for more information on all designated Blue Distinction Centers, visit bcbs.com/bluedistinction.

Designation as a Blue Distinction Center® means this facility's overall experience and aggregate data met objective criteria established in collaboration with expert clinicians' and leading professional organizations' recommendations. Individual outcomes may vary. To find out which services are covered under your policy at any facilities, please call the customer service number on the back of your Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield identification card or call your local Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield plan.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is a nonprofit corporation and independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more company information, visit bcbsm.com.

SOURCE Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan