GLOUCESTER, VA –Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield has selected Riverside Walter Reed Hospital as a Blue Distinction Center for Knee and Hip Replacement, part of the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program. Blue Distinction Centers are nationally designated healthcare facilities shown to deliver improved patient safety and better health outcomes, based on objective measures that were developed by Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies with input from the medical community.
Knee and hip replacement procedures are among the fastest growing medical treatments in the U.S., according to studies published in the June 2014 Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery(1) and the American Academy of Orthopedicspaedic Surgeons(2).
Hospitals designated as Blue Distinction Centers for Knee and Hip Replacement demonstrate expertise in total knee and total hip replacement surgeries, resulting in fewer patient complications and hospital readmissions. Designated hospitals must also maintain national accreditation.
Riverside Walter Reed Hospital is proud to be recognized by Anthem for meeting the robust selection criteria for knee and hip replacements set by the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program. "This "Anthem Blue Distinction Center for Knee and Hip Replacement" designation is the culmination and result of a long-term commitment to quality patient care, safety, excellence in surgical outcomes, and cost containment." said Dr. David Muron, Orthopedicspedic Surgeon and RWRH Medical Staff President. "In addition, the designation reflects highly on all of the dedicated surgical and medical team members, and Orthopedicspedic surgeons, at Riverside Walter Reed Hospital, who provide their medical expertise and caring attitudes to all of our patients, each and every day. I congratulate them all for helping to achieve this elite designation as a center of excellence."
Since 2006, the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program has helped patients find quality providers for their specialty care needs in the areas of bariatric surgery, cardiac care, complex and rare cancers, knee and hip replacements, maternity care, spine surgery, and transplants, while encouraging healthcare professionals to improve the care they deliver.
For more information about the program and for a complete listing of the designated facilities, please visit www.bcbs.com/bluedistinction.
(1) J Bone Joint Surg Am, The Role of Overweight and Obesity in Relation to the More Rapid Growth of Total Knee Arthroplasty Volume Compared with Total Hip Arthroplasty Volume, 2014 Jun 04;96 (11): 922 -928. http://dx.doi.org/10.2106/JBJS.L.01731
(2) American Academy of Orthopedicspaedic Surgeons, Annual Incidents of Common Musculoskeletal Procedures and Treatment, 2014 March;http://www.aaos.org/research/stats/CommonProceduresTreatments-March2014.pdf
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ABOUT BLUE DISTINCTION CENTERS
Blue Distinction Centers (BDC) met overall quality measures for patient safety and outcomes, developed with input from the medical community. A Local Blue Plan may require additional criteria for facilities located in its own service area;for details, contact your Local Blue Plan. Blue Distinction Centers+ (BDC+) also met cost measures that address consumers' need for affordable health care. Each facility's cost of care is evaluated using data from its Local Blue Plan. Facilities in CA, ID, NY, PA, and WA may lie in two Local Blue Plans' areas, resulting in two evaluations for cost of care;and their own Local Blue Plans decide whether one or both cost of care evaluation(s) must meet BDC+ national criteria. National criteria for BDC and BDC+ are displayed on bcbs.com. Individual outcomes may vary. For details on a provider's in-network status or your own policy's coverage, contact your Local Blue Plan and ask your provider before making an appointment. Neither Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association nor any Blue Plans are responsible for non-covered charges or other losses or damages resulting from Blue Distinction or other provider finder information or care received from Blue Distinction or other providers.