MCG Health System selected for Blue Distinction
by Deborah Humphrey
MCG Health System has been selected to be a part of the Georgia Blue Cross Blue Shield centers of clinical excellence in cardiovascular services and transplantation. Blue Distinction is a nationwide program launched by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association to engage consumers to make more informed decisions and collaborate with health care providers to improve quality outcomes and affordability. The Blue Distinction Centers for Transplants program was established in 1991 and the Blue Distinction Centers for Cardiac Care program was announced last month.
“Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia is the largest of the commercial and managed-care providers in the state, so it is important to be in the network of selected facilities to receive referrals,” said Don Snell, president and CEO of MCGHI. “We are proud that we met the rigorous criteria that scrutinize clinical outcomes.”
The criteria for being a Blue Distinction Center for Cardiac Care include:
- Full-service, accredited inpatient hospital facility
- Perform a required volume of percutaneous coronary interventions and
coronary artery bypass graft surgeries, and provide a full range of
services such as inpatient cardiac care and cardiac rehabilitation
- Subspecialty board certification of members of the cardiac team
- Ongoing quality management and improvement programs
- Cardiac care processes and outcomes for acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, percutaneous coronary interventions and coronary artery bypass graft surgery, including evaluation of complication and mortality rates
“We selected each of the centers based on a rigorous evaluation of clinical data that provides insight into each facility’s structure, processes and care outcomes,” said Caz Matthews, president of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia. “Participating hospitals and health systems must meet stringent requirements based on objective clinical and quality data – not claims or administrative data.
“The nationally established criteria were developed with input from medical experts and organizations. The criteria support each facility doing consistent, objective assessments of their specialty care capabilities. Blue Distinction is the only program that offers a nationwide and comprehensive approach to specialty centers.”