Saint Joseph Hospital and Saint Joseph East Receive Blue Distinction Center+ - Archived

For Immediate Release
April 23, 2013

For More Information:
David McArthur, Community and Media Relations Manager
502.562.3575 or 502.648.3411                                                                              
[email protected]

Saint Joseph Hospital and Saint Joseph East Receive Blue Distinction Center+ Designation for Quality and Efficiency
The Blue Distinction® Designation Aids Consumers and Employers in Choosing High-Performing Hospitals

Lexington, KY – Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield has named Saint Joseph Hospital as a Blue Distinction Center+ in Spine Surgery and named Saint Joseph East, both part of KentuckyOne Health, a Blue Distinction Center in Spine Surgery and Knee and Hip Replacement.. The Blue Distinction Centers for Specialty Care® program is a national designation awarded to medical facilities that have demonstrated expertise in delivering quality specialty care – which expanded recently to include more robust quality measures focused on improved patient health and safety, as well as new cost-efficiency measures.

Since 2006, consumers, medical providers and employers have relied on the Blue Distinction program to identify hospitals delivering quality care in Bariatric Surgery, Cardiac Care, Complex and Rare Cancers, Knee and Hip Replacements, Spine Surgery, and Transplants. The selection criteria used to evaluate facilities were developed with input from the medical community and include general quality and safety metrics plus program specific metrics.  Saint Joseph Hospital and Saint Joseph East are proud to have met the rigorous selection criteria set by the Blue Distinction Centers for Specialty Care program.

“Saint Joseph Hospital and Saint Joseph East have long been a leader in the region for superior surgery and care.  We are excited to be recognized as a Blue Distinction Center of Excellence for Spine Surgery and Knee and Hip Replacement,” said Chris Bowe, vice president of Orthopedics/Neurosciences, KentuckyOne Health.  “At KentuckyOne Health, we are proud to provide the region’s most advanced care for Total Knee and Hip Replacement and Spine surgery.  The staff and partner physicians integrate the latest technology, patient education and compassion to provide the highest quality Spine Surgery in the safest environment.  We are honored to be named a Blue Distinction Center of Excellence.”

“For 75 years Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Kentucky has been proud to salute health care facilities that provide outstanding health care value based on their commitment to delivering better patient outcomes,” said Deb Moessner, Anthem president. “We congratulate Saint Joseph Hospital and appreciate the important role they play in providing quality medical services to Anthem’s members.”

Research confirms that the newly designated Blue Distinction Centers+ demonstrate better quality and improved outcomes for patients, with lower rates of complications and readmissions than their peers. Blue Distinction Centers+ also are more than 20 percent more cost-efficient. The program provides consumers with tools to help them make better informed healthcare decisions.  These results will also enable employers, working with their local Blue Plan, to tailor benefits to meet their individual quality and cost objectives.

About The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is a national federation of 38 independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide healthcare coverage for 100 million members – one-in-three Americans.  For more information on the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and its member companies, please visit www.BCBS.com.  We encourage you to connect with us on Facebook, check out our videos on YouTube, follow us on Twitter and check out The BCBS Blog, for up-to-date information about BCBSA.

About KentuckyOne Health
KentuckyOne Health was formed when two major Kentucky health care organizations came together in early 2012. KentuckyOne Health combines the Jewish and Catholic heritages of the two former systems – Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare and Saint Joseph Health System. In late 2012, the organization formed a partnership with the University of Louisville Hospital | James Graham Brown Cancer Center.  The nonprofit system is committed to improving the health of Kentuckians by integrating medical research, education, technology and health care services wherever patients receive care. KentuckyOne Health has more than 200 locations including hospitals, physician groups, clinics, primary care centers, specialty institutes and home health agencies, with nearly 15,000 employees across the state of Kentucky and southern Indiana. KentuckyOne Health is the largest health system in Kentucky and has more than 3,100 licensed beds.

 

###