Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield has recognized The Medical Center at Bowling Green, the flagship hospital of Med Center Health, with a Blue Distinction Centers+ for Cardiac Care designation, as part of the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program. Blue Distinction Centers are nationally designated providers that show expertise in delivering improved patient safety and better health outcomes, based on objective measures that were developed with input from the medical community and leading accreditation and quality organizations.
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death globally and is expected to claim more than 23.6 million lives annually by 2030. Blue Distinction Centers+ for Cardiac Care seek to empower patients with the knowledge and tools to find quality cardiac care. To receive a Blue Distinction Centers+ designation, hospitals must demonstrate expertise in delivering safe and effective cardiac care, focusing on cardiac valve surgery, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), and percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) episodes of care. Hospitals receiving a Blue Distinction Centers+ designation must also demonstrate better cost-efficiency compared to their peers.
Only those hospitals that first meet nationally established quality measures for Blue Distinction Centers are considered for designation as a Blue Distinction Centers+.
“The Medical Center’s Cardiac team is committed to providing the highest standards of care to our community,” said Connie Smith, President and Chief Executive Officer of Med Center Health. “We strive to offer advanced quality usually found only in major metropolitan areas right here, close to home. We are proud that our efforts have been recognized with the Blue Distinction Center+ designation, which affirms to our patients they are receiving the best, most cost-efficient care.”
“The Medical Center’s designation as a Blue Distinction Center+ is a testament to their innovative approach to cardiac patient care,” said Dr. Jeff Reynolds, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Kentucky medical director. “The Blue Distinction program is designed to recognize commitment to quality and to help consumers identify high performing health care providers. This is a well-deserved honor and I congratulate the entire team at The Medical Center.”
Hospitals recognized with this designation are assessed using a combination of quality information supplied by hospitals and third party data registries, and cost measures derived from Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies’ medical claims.
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, and transplants, while encouraging health care professionals to improve the care they deliver. Research shows that compared to other providers, those designated as Blue Distinction Centers demonstrate better quality and improved outcomes for patients. On average, Blue Distinction Centers+ are also 20 percent more cost-efficient than non-Blue Distinction Center+ designated providers.
For more information about the program and for a complete listing of the designated providers, visit www.bcbs.com/bluedistinction.
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Med Center Health is a not-for-profit health system with a mission to care for people and improve the quality of life in the communities we serve. Our integrated healthcare system includes hospitals in Bowling Green, Albany, Caverna (Horse Cave), Franklin and Scottsville, as well as Commonwealth Regional Specialty Hospital, a long-term, acute care hospital. Combined, the hospitals comprise 454 acute care beds and 110 extended care beds, 400+ physicians in more than 50 specialties. Med Center Health has more than 3,700 employees and 90 employed providers, and is a two-time recipient of the Gallup Great Workplace award. In FY 2018, Med Center Health provided more than $117 million in community benefit. As a resource deeply rooted in the communities we serve, Med Center Health offers more access to top-quality healthcare than any other provider in Southcentral Kentucky. A wide footprint, combined with our commitment to proactively invest in the resources our communities need, helps people heal closer to home. Learn more at MedCenterHealth.org.
About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Kentucky:
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the trade name of Anthem Health Plans of Kentucky, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Additional information about Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Kentucky is available at www.anthem.com. Also, follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/anthemBCBS , or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AnthemBlueCrossBlueShield
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 IndexSM. 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.
