The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association has named several Louisiana hospitals Blue Distinction Centers for bariatric surgery, cardiac care and transplant services. Thus far, Christus St. Frances Cabrini Hospital, Louisiana Heart Hospital, Ochsner Clinic Foundation in New Orleans, St. Francis Medical Center and Southwest Medical Center, have met the Blue Distinction program’s rigorous selection criteria.
Blue Distinction is a nationwide program of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association that creates an unprecedented level of transparency for both consumers and providers of health care. Driven by quality, collaboration and affordability, Blue Distinction has two goals. The program seeks to engage consumers to become more involved in making health care decisions and to collaborate with providers to improve patient outcomes through specialty centers that meet high standards of care.
“We’re very proud that several of our network facilities have been named Centers of Blue Distinction,” said Richard Williams, senior vice president of provider and community relations at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana. “The Blue Distinction program emphasizes our commitment to providing our customers access to quality care and our dedication to giving them the information they need to make better health care decisions.”
The selection process for Blue Distinction Centers is based on clinical data supplied by hospitals. Each facility’s structure, processes and care outcomes are rigorously evaluated. The criteria for designation include nationally endorsed quality measures, developed in collaboration with medical experts and professional organizations.
“Blue Distinction puts a high value on research and evidence-based health and medical information,” said Allan Korn, MD, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association chief medical officer. “These centers show our commitment to working with doctors and hospitals in communities across the country to identify leading institutions that meet clinically validated quality standards and deliver better outcomes in patient care.”
Christus St. Frances Cabrini Hospital, Louisiana Heart Hospital, Ochsner Clinic Foundation Hospital, and St. Francis Medical Center were accepted as Blue Distinction Centers for cardiac care based on their ability to provide a broad spectrum of cardiac care services, including inpatient cardiac care, cardiac rehabilitation, cardiac catheterization and cardiac surgery.
Ochsner Clinic Foundation also has been designated a Blue Distinction Center for adult heart transplants. To become a Blue Distinction Center for transplants, a facility must be a full-service, accredited inpatient hospital facility performing a required volume of transplant procedures. The experience and credentials of the transplant team are taken into account, as well as patient outcomes.
As a Blue Distinction Center for bariatric surgery, Southwest Medical Center provides a full range of bariatric surgical care services, including inpatient care, post-operative care, follow-up and patient education. Bariatric surgery is not a covered service under most Blue Cross plans.
More information about Blue Distinction is available at www.bcbs.com/bluedistinction.
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is comprised of 38 independent, locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide health care coverage for more than 94 million – nearly one-in-three – Americans. For more information on the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and its member companies, visit www.BCBS.com.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is Louisiana-owned and -operated. Marking its 73rd anniversary this year, the company is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. It is a tax-paying mutual company, owned by its policyholders. Headquartered in Baton Rouge, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana also has district offices in Alexandria, Houma, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe, New Orleans and Shreveport. The company’s subsidiaries include HMO Louisiana, Inc. and Southern National Life Insurance Company, Inc. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.bcbsla.com.
