Hospitals earn designation through the Blue Distinction® Speciality Care program
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas has designated 16 of its contracting hospitals as Blue Distinction® Centers for Maternity Care as part of the national Blue Distinction Specialty Care program that recognizes hospitals for providing quality and affordable care.
Blue Distinction Centers are nationally designated hospitals 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. The Blue Distinction Centers for Maternity Care program evaluates hospitals on quality measures for vaginal and cesarean delivery.
Named a Blue Distinction Center for Maternity Care was Via Christi Hospitals, Wichita.
To receive a Blue Distinction Centers+ designation, a hospital must meet the same quality criteria as Blue Distinction centers while also meeting requirements for cost efficiency.
Hospitals recognized as a Blue Distinction Center+ for Maternity Care are:
Atchison Hospital
Lawrence Memorial Hospital
Newman Regional Health, Emporia
Newton Medical Center
Ransom Memorial Hospital, Ottawa
Saint Luke’s Cushing Hospital, Leavenworth
St. Catherine Hospital, Garden City
Salina Regional Health Center
Southwest Medical Center, Liberal
Stormont Vail Health, Topeka
Susan B. Allen Memorial Hospital, El Dorado
Via Christi Hospital, Manhattan
Wesley Medical Center, Wichita
Western Plains Medical Complex, Dodge City
The University of Kansas Health Systems, St. Francis Campus, Topeka
“Today there is much talk about ‘quality’ in health care and the role quality plays in overall outcomes, patient experience, and costs,” said Andrew C. Corbin, BCBSKS president/CEO. “These 16 hospitals are doing more than talking about quality. They are putting quality into action by meeting rigorous quality metrics in all phases of their maternity care programs and, in doing so, deliver better care for our members. That is why we are proud to recognize them as Blue Distinction Centers for Maternity Care.”
Nearly four million babies are born in the U.S. annually, making childbirth the most common cause of hospitalization, and cesarean sections the most common operating room procedure, according to National Centers for Health Statistics and the Agency for Health Care Research & Quality (AHRQ). Reducing early elective delivery is an area of focus for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). According to Health Affairs, elective inductions result in more cesarean deliveries and a longer maternal hospitalization.
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, maternity care, knee and hip replacements, spine surgery, and transplants while encouraging healthcare professionals to improve the care they deliver. Research shows that compared to other hospitals, those designated as Blue Distinction Centers demonstrate better quality and improved outcomes for patients. On average, Blue Distinction Centers+ also are 20 percent more cost-efficient than non-Blue Distinction Center+ designated hospitals.
For more information about the program, please visit bcbs.com/bluedistinction.
About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas
For 75 years, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas has built a reputation of trust with its members and contracting providers by providing outstanding customer services while quickly and accurately processing claims; fairly administering benefit plans and contracts; offering programs, services and tools to help members improve or maintain their health; and operating under the highest ethical standards while being good stewards of premium dollars. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas is an independent licensee of Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and is the state’s largest insurer, serving all Kansas counties except Johnson and Wyandotte. For more information, visit bcbsks.com.
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 The Health of America Report series and the national BCBS Health Index. For more information on BSBSA and its member companies, please visit bcbs.com.
About Blue Distinction Centers
Blue Distinction Centers (BDC) met overall quality measures for patient safety and outcomes, 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 health care. 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 the 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 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.
