Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield has recognized Mercy Health – Springfield Regional Medical Center 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 developed with input from the medical community and leading accreditation and quality organizations.
“Nothing is more important to our cardiac care team than providing our patients with top quality heart care and we couldn’t be more proud of earning this latest designation,” said Matt Caldwell, President, Mercy Health – Springfield. “It is one more piece of tangible evidence demonstrating our unwavering commitment to ensuring that our patients, their families and our community have easy access to the very best care.”
“Springfield Regional Medical Center’s designation as a Blue Distinction Center is a testament to their innovative approach to cardiac patient care,” said Dr. Barry Malinowski, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Ohio 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 cardiac care team at Springfield Regional.”
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.
Anthem assesses hospitals recognized with this designation 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.
For more information about the program and for a complete listing of the designated providers, visit www.bcbs.com/bluedistinction.