St. Luke’s designated a Blue Distinction Center for knee and hip replacement

Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield has designated St. Luke’s Hospital as a Blue Distinction Center for Knee and Hip Replacement.  Blue Distinction Centers for Knee and Hip Replacement are part of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association’s expansion of its Blue Distinction® designation.

“Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield is committed to working with hospitals and doctors to ensure the highest quality care for our members,” says Paul Karazija, M.D., Wellmark’s chief medical officer. “The Blue Distinction designation is designed to help our members choose hospitals with a proven track record for meeting aggressive quality standards.”

The selection criteria used to evaluate facilities were developed with input from a panel of expert physicians. To be designated as a Blue Distinction Center for Knee and Hip Replacement, the following types of criteria were evaluated:  

  • Established acute care inpatient facility, including intensive care, emergency care, and a full range of patient support services with full accreditation by a CMS-deemed national accreditation organization
  • Experience and training of program surgeons, including case volume
  • Quality management programs, including surgical checklists as well as tracking and evaluation of clinical outcomes and process of care
  • Multi-disciplinary clinical pathways and teams to coordinate and streamline care, including transitions of care
  • Shared decision making and preoperative patient education

More information on selection criteria is available on www.bcbs.com. The Blue Distinction designation is awarded by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies to medical facilities that have demonstrated expertise in delivering quality healthcare in the areas of bariatric surgery, cardiac care, complex and rare cancers, knee and hip replacement, spine surgery and transplants. The program is part of The Blues® efforts to collaborate with physicians and medical facilities to improve the overall quality and safety of specialty care.