On January 27, 2010, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association announced the expansion of its Blue Distinction designation program to include Blue Distinction Centers for Spine SurgerySM and Blue Distinction Centers for Knee and Hip ReplacementSM. These Centers joint the Blue Distinction Centers for Bariatric Surgery, Cardiac Care, and Complex and Rare Cancers, and Blue Distinction Centers for Transplants currently available to Service Benefit Plan members.
Blue Distinction designations are awarded to facilities that have demonstrated a commitment to quality care by meeting objective, evidence-based thresholds for clinical quality and safety developed with input from expert clinicians and leading professional organizations. These new designations will help provide patients and their physicians with a credible means of selecting facilities that meet their individual health care needs.
The addition of these two new designations brings the total number of Blue Distinction designations to more than 1,600 nationwide, in 46 states and the District of Columbia.
For more information about Blue Distinction Centers, click on the Provider Directory feature on www.fepblue.org.