Three Michigan hospitals were designated as Blue Distinction Centers^® for Cardiac Care^® during the mid-cycle request for information process of the program.

• Allegiance Health, Jackson
• Port Huron Hospital,
  Port Huron
• St. Mary’s of Michigan Medical Center, Saginaw

For more information on the Blue Distinction Centers, visit bcbs.com/bluedistinction.

Blues launch 2 new Blue Distinction Center designations
Blue Cross is expanding its program that recognizes expertise in delivering quality health care with a pair of new designations: Blue Distinction Centers for Spine Surgery^SM and Blue Distinction Centers for Knee and Hip Replacement^SM. The move brings the number of clinical disciplines now covered by the program to six.

Blue Distinction Centers for Specialty Care^® designations are awarded to facilities that have demonstrated a commitment to quality care by meeting objective, evidence-based thresholds for clinical quality and safety. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and the Michigan Blues developed the criteria with input from expert clinicians and leading professional organizations.

These new designations will help provide patients undergoing surgeries and hospitalizations for spine, knee and hip conditions and their physicians with a credible means of selecting facilities that meet their individual needs. They also encourage health care professionals to improve the overall quality and safety of care.

Procedures involving knee reconstruction or replacement, total and partial hip replacement, and spinal fusion increased by nearly 25 percent between 1997 and 2005, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

"Numerous studies have shown that hip and knee replacement programs that incorporate evidence-based clinical care pathways have better outcomes and fewer postoperative complications in their patients," said Dr. Kevin J. Bozic, associate professor and vice chairman of the Orthopaedic Surgery department at University of California, San Francisco.

"The selection criteria that were used to designate Blue Distinction Centers emphasize important aspects of quality and safety of patient care. These designations will help patients and referring physicians identify hospitals that offer comprehensive, integrated orthopaedic care."

The addition of the two new Blue Distinction designations will bring the number of Blue Distinction Centers^® to more than 1,600 across 46 states and the District of Columbia. The number is expected to increase in the coming years.

Already, more than 40 medical facilities in Michigan have applied for the two new designations.

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 case volume
• Quality management programs, including surgical checklists as well as tracking and evaluation of clinical outcomes and process of care
• Multidisciplinary clinical pathways and teams to coordinate and streamline care, including transitions of care
• Shared decision-making and preoperative patient education

“Our Blue Distinction program recognizes hospitals that demonstrate higher levels of performance in providing better care 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."

For more information on all designated Blue Distinction Centers, visit bcbs.com/bluedistinction. Questions? Call Sandy Reoma at 248-448-8097.

Blue Distinction Centers for Knee and Hip Replacement:

• Allegiance Health
• Battle Creek Health System
• Bay Regional Medical Center
• Borgess Medical Center
• Botsford Hospital
• Bronson Methodist Hospital
• Covenant Medical Center
• Crittenton Hospital Medical Center
• Genesys Regional Medical Center
• Henry Ford Hospital
• Henry Ford Macomb Hospital
• Henry Ford Macomb Hospital – Warren Campus
• Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital
• Hurley Medical Center
• Ingham Regional Medical Center
• McLaren Regional Medical Center
• Mercy Hospital – Cadillac
• MidMichigan Medical Center – Midland
• Northern Michigan Hospital
• Oakwood Heritage Hospital
• Oakwood Hospital & Medical Center – Dearborn
• Oakwood Hospital Annapolis Center – Wayne
• Providence Hospital and Medical Centers
• Saint John Hospital and Medical Center
• Saint John Macomb Oakland Hospital – Macomb Campus
• Saint Joseph Mercy Livingston Hospital
• Saint Joseph Mercy Oakland
• Saint Mary's Health Care Grand Rapids
• Sparrow Hospital
• Spectrum Health Blodgett Hospital
• Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital
• St. Joseph Mercy Hospital – Ann Arbor
• St. Mary Mercy Hospital – Livonia
• University of Michigan Health System
• William Beaumont Hospital – Royal Oak
• William Beaumont Hospital – Grosse Pointe
• William Beaumont Hospital – Troy

Blue Distinction Centers for Spine Surgery:

• Allegiance Health
• Borgess Medical Center
• Bronson Methodist Hospital
• Covenant Medical Center
• Henry Ford Hospital
• Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital
• Marquette General Health System
• McLaren Regional Medical Center
• MidMichigan Medical Center – Midland
• Saint John Hospital and Medical Center
• Saint Joseph Mercy Oakland
• Saint Mary's Health Care Grand Rapids
• Spectrum Health Blodgett Hospital
• Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital
• St. Joseph Mercy Hospital – Ann Arbor
• University of Michigan Health System
• William Beaumont Hospital – Royal Oak
• William Beaumont Hospital – Troy