Trinity’s receives Blue Distinction Center+ designations for quality and efficiency in knee and hip replacement, spine surgery
March 14, 2013
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois has named both of Trinity Medical Center’s Illinois hospitals (Rock and Moline) and Trinity Bettendorf as a Blue Distinction Center+ in Knee and Hip Replacement. The Illinois facilities also earned designations as a Blue Distinction Center+ for Spine Surgery®. The Blue Distinction Centers for Specialty Care® program is a national designation awarded by Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies to medical facilities that have demonstrated expertise in delivering quality specialty care – which expanded recently to include more robust quality measures focused on improved patient health and safety, as well as new cost-efficiency measures.
Since 2006, consumers, medical providers and employers have relied on the Blue Distinction program to identify hospitals delivering quality care in Bariatric Surgery, Cardiac Care, Complex and Rare Cancers, Knee and Hip Replacements, Spine Surgery, and Transplants. The selection criteria used to evaluate facilities were developed with input from the medical community and include general quality and safety metrics plus program specific metrics. Trinity is proud to have met the rigorous selection criteria set by the Blue Distinction Centers for Specialty Care program.
“Our surgical processes are designed to provide the best outcome every time for our patients,” said Jean Doerge, Trinity’s Vice President of Quality. “Having this seal of approval gives validation to the guidelines we’ve already established to achieve the highest quality results.”
Research confirms that the newly designated Blue Distinction Centers+ demonstrate better quality and improved outcomes for patients, with lower rates of complications and readmissions than their peers. Blue Distinction Centers+ also are more than 20 percent more cost-efficient. The program provides consumers with tools to help them make better informed healthcare decisions. These results will also enable employers, working with their local Blue Plan, to tailor benefits to meet their individual quality and cost objectives.
About the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is a national federation of 38 independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide healthcare coverage for 100 million members – one-in-three Americans. For more information on the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and its member companies, please visit www.BCBS.com.
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