Time to brag a little

Excerpts from BIDMC and Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA press releases today. (More available here.)

BIDMC TOPS BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD MASSACHUSETTS RANKINGS
FOR HEALTH CARE QUALITY AND COST EFFICIENCY

BOSTON – Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) topped the list among Massachusetts hospitals in Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts’ (BCBSMA) Blue Distinction® designation of hospitals making a difference in health care outcomes and value.

BIDMC won the designation for its efforts in Bariatric Surgery, Cardiac Care, Complex and Rare Cancers, and Bone Marrow, Stem Cell and/or Allogeneiac Transplants. The medical center was among 16 Massachusetts hospitals designated by the state’s largest health insurer in a process that involved collaborating with employer groups, providers, and specialty medical societies.

“BIDMC has focused intensively on providing high quality, well coordinated care in these specialized service lines, and it is gratifying to see these efforts manifesting as better outcomes for our patients,” said Kenneth Sands, MD, senior vice president of health care quality.

Blue Distinction is a nationwide program that recognizes medical facilities that meet a national set of objective, evidence-based thresholds for clinical quality developed in collaboration with expert clinicians and leading medical organizations. This designation provides consumers with a credible, easily identifiable means of selecting facilities that best meet their individual specialty care needs.

“BCBSMA is committed to delivering on our promise of high quality, more affordable health care by working to eliminate the overuse, under use, and misuse of health care services. Blue Distinction is another way we demonstrate this commitment,” said BCBSMA Chief Physician Executive John Fallon, MD.

“Based on clinical data from hospitals and registries, research indicates that Blue Distinction Centers demonstrate better, more consistent overall outcome with fewer post-procedure complications and lower mortality rates,” Fallon said.

The analysis includes 41,333 patients treated within a facility setting, 22,322 of which were treated at BDC-designated facilities and 19,011 at other facilities. The analysis is based on cardiac events and procedures occurring during calendar year 2006, with follow-up in 2007.

BCBSMA launched Blue Distinction in 2007 with the Blue Distinction Centers for Cardiac Care. In 2008, the health insurer launched three Blue Distinction programs: Transplants, Complex and Rare Cancers and Bariatric Surgery. Due to the high level of success that BDCs have seen with regard to quality outcomes and value, Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies are in the process of expanding the program to additional specialty areas.

NAME				CITY				DESIGNATED FOR
Bay State Medical Center				Springfield				Bariatric Surgery, Cardiac Care
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center				Boston				Bariatric Surgery, Cardiac Care, Complex and Rare Cancers, Transplants-Bone Marrow, Stem Cell and/or Allogeneiac
Boston Medical Center				Boston				Bariatric Surgery, Cardiac Care
Brigham & Women’s Hospital				Boston				Bariatric Surgery, Cardiac Care
Cape Cod Hospital				Hyannis				Cardiac Care
Caritas St. Elizabeth’s Hospital				Boston				Cardiac Care
Dana Farber-Brigham & Women’s Cancer Center				Boston				Complex and Rare Cancers
Faulkner Hospital				Jamaica Plain				Bariatric Surgery
Lahey Clinic				Burlington				Bariatric Surgery, Cardiac Care, Complex and Rare Cancers
Lawrence Memorial Hospital				Medford				Bariatric Surgery
Massachusetts General Hospital				Boston				Bariatric Surgery, Cardiac Care
Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center				Boston				Complex and Rare Cancers
Mount Auburn Hospital				Cambridge				Cardiac Care
Newton –Wellesley Hospital				Newton				Bariatric Surgery
North Shore Medical Center				Salem				Cardiac Care
Tufts Medical Center				Boston				Cardiac Care, Transplants-Liver
Winchester Hospital				Winchester				Bariatric Surgery