The number of patients undergoing surgeries and hospitalizations for spine, knee and hip conditions is growing dramatically. Procedures including knee reconstruction or replacement, total and partial hip replacement, and spinal fusion, increased by nearly 25 percent between 1997 and 2005.
Blue Cross 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. The Blue Cross 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.
More than 800 facilities received the new designation as part of the Blue Cross Blue Shield nationwide initiative to improve healthcare quality and safety.