NUWAY® Designated as a Blue Distinction® Center for Substance Use Treatment and Recovery

MINNEAPOLIS, June 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NUWAY® today announced that its programs have been named Blue Distinction® Centers for Substance Use Treatment and Recovery by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota. NUWAY's facilities in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Duluth, and Rochester, are among the first to receive the designation under the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program that is designed to help patients living with a substance use disorder find facilities that deliver quality treatment and care.

Blue Distinction Centers are nationally designated facilities that show a commitment to delivering improved patient safety and better health outcomes, based on objective measures that were developed with input from the community and leading accreditation and quality organizations.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 130 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose, which highlights the seriousness of the opioid epidemic and how critical it is for patients to receive comprehensive, meaningful care. The BDC Substance Use Treatment and Recovery program requires designated facilities to deliver coordinated multidisciplinary care to patients and provide timely access to quality medical and psychosocial care in all phases of treatment. Designated facilities must also offer medication-assisted treatment (MAT) – a way to treat opioid addiction that includes a medication component and behavioral therapy.

"NUWAY is thrilled and thankful to be recognized as a Blue Distinction provider. This designation substantiates NUWAY's commitment to supporting the work and growth of the highly skilled clinicians, managers, and support team members who carry out our nonprofit mission by delivering exceptional and innovative care to people with low recovery capital who need extended time in treatment to build a solid foundation for their recovery journey. This affirmation serves as an indicator of trust that can help people feel more comfortable about seeking treatment, and sends a clear message to our valued clients, employees, colleagues, and partners, that NUWAY takes quality to heart," says NUWAY Chief Community Relations Officer, Monique Bourgeois.

"This designation shows dedication to evidence-based treatment options," said Dr. Mark Steffen, chief medical officer at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota. "Blue Distinction Specialty Care providers demonstrate better quality overall, including 27 percent lower readmission rates 90 days after treatment when compared to providers who have not earned the designation."

Since 2006, the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program has helped patients find quality specialty care in the areas of bariatric surgery, cancer care, cardiac care, cellular immunotherapy, fertility care, gene therapy, knee and hip replacements, maternity care, spine surgery, substance use treatment and recovery, and transplants, while encouraging health care professionals to improve the care they deliver. Research for many programs shows that, compared to other providers, those designated as Blue Distinction Centers demonstrate better quality and improved outcomes for patients.

For more information about the program and for a complete listing of the designated facilities, visit www.bcbs.com/bluedistinction.

About NUWAY
Established in 1966, NUWAY is a non-profit, evidence-based addiction and co-occurring mental health treatment provider specializing in extended care and accredited by The Joint Commission. With residential and outpatient treatment facilities throughout Minnesota, NUWAY helps clients access a coordinated continuum of care that includes treatment, recovery housing, peer support services, and other community resources. NUWAY offers medium-intensity residential treatment for adult men, women and transgender individuals, and intensive outpatient treatment with optional recovery housing for individuals of all genders. Lengths of stay are individualized to client's needs. NUWAY is GLBTQIA+, and medication-assisted treatment safe and friendly. NUWAY is managed by NUWAY Alliance, a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide leadership, innovation and recovery access.

For more information contact Monique Bourgeois, NUWAY Chief Community Relations Officer, at 651-964-3680.

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota
For nearly 90 years, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (bluecrossmn.com) has supported the health, wellbeing and peace of mind of our members by striving to ensure equitable access to high quality care at an affordable price. We are on a mission to inspire change, transform care and improve health for the people and communities we serve by reinventing both ourselves and the broader system. Our 2.5 million members can be found in every Minnesota county, all 50 states and on four continents. As a proud nonprofit organization, we believe working to advance wellness for all Minnesotans is the greatest investment we can make. Our goal is nothing less than for everyone to be able to achieve their full health potential, regardless of race or other socially defined circumstances. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, which serves more than 107 million members across the U.S.

About Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is a national federation of 36 independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide health care coverage for one in three Americans. BCBSA provides health care insights through Blue Cross Blue Shield, The Health of America Report® series and the national BCBS Health Index^SM. For more information on BCBSA and its member companies, please visit BCBS.com. We also encourage you to connect with us on Facebook, check out our videos on YouTube and follow us on Twitter.

About Blue Distinction Centers
Blue Distinction Centers (BDC) met overall quality measures, developed with input from the medical community. A Local Blue Plan may require additional criteria for providers 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 provider's cost of care is evaluated using data from its Local Blue Plan. Providers 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. 

SOURCE NUWAY

Related Links

https://www.nuway.org/