Hospital and Physician Update
May – June 2021

Qualified providers invited to apply for designation in BDC Substance Use Treatment program

Qualified facility providers are urged to apply for national designation as a Blue Distinction® Center for Substance Use Treatment and Recovery.

This is the newest BDC designation, as we wrote in a Record article late last year.  Currently, we have three Michigan providers who applied for and received this designation.

Achieving this national designation recognizes that providers have demonstrated expertise in delivering quality specialty care in this area safely, effectively and cost efficiently. All providers who apply for this designation must offer programs for opioid use disorder, including medication-assisted treatment as needed.

Providers can obtain detailed information about the Substance Use Treatment and Recovery BDC program selection criteria and eligibility here. Additional information on Blue Distinction Specialty Care can be found on the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association website.

Achieving this designation provides value to health care providers in various ways, including:

  • The designation differentiates you among your peers locally and nationally.
  • Designations give consumers and referring physicians the information they need to select a provider recognized for delivering quality, cost-efficient care. (See “Did you know” section of article below for more information.)
  • To better manage cost and quality of care, some employers are developing plans that encourage employees to use providers who have been designated, demonstrating their ability to provide high-quality, cost-efficient care.

Whether a provider meets program selection criteria or not, every provider evaluated receives a customized report that provides useful insights into their performance.

Finding a BDC provider

Consumers and referring physicians alike can locate designated providers through the Blue Distinction Center Finder. Designations are also identified on the Find a Doctor search tool, which can be accessed from the homepage of bcbsm.com.

To apply for designation

If you’re interested in applying for Blue Distinction Center for Substance Use Treatment and Recovery designation, send an email to Michelle Williams at MWilliams3@bcbsm.com.

Did you know?

  • Less than half of Americans have a high level of confidence that they could find quality information to aid their search for quality care, according to the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
  • Consumers are more likely to select a higher quality, lower cost provider than a high-cost provider when quality and cost information are shown in tandem, according to a report published in Health Affairs, a health care journal.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network are nonprofit corporations and independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.