RANSON, W.VA. – Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield West Virginia has recognized WVU Medicine Jefferson Medical Center with a Blue Distinction® Center for Maternity Care designation as part of the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program.
Blue Distinction Centers are nationally designated hospitals that show expertise in delivering improved patient safety and better health outcomes based on objective measures that were developed with input from the medical community.
Nearly four million babies are born in the U.S. annually, making childbirth the most common cause of hospitalization and cesarean sections the most common operating room procedures, according to National Centers for Health Statistics and the Agency for Health Care Research & Quality (AHRQ).
Reducing early elective delivery is an area of focus for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). According to Health Affairs, elective inductions result in more cesarean deliveries and a longer maternal hospitalization. The Blue Distinction Centers for Maternity Care program evaluates hospitals on quarterly measures for vaginal and cesarean delivery.
“Jefferson Medical Center is proud to be recognized by Highmark BCBS West Virginia for meeting the rigorous Blue Distinction Center quality selection criteria for maternity care established by the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program,” Samantha Richards, vice president/chief nursing officer, said. “This distinction acknowledges the quality, evidence-based maternity care delivered by our staff and providers at Jefferson Medical Center.”
“The Blue Distinction program gives Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield West Virginia members the ability to choose their providers based on reliable quality and safety information,” said Charles DeShazer, M.D., senior vice president and chief medical officer for Highmark. “We congratulate our Blue Distinction Specialty Care providers on their accomplishment and thank our members for choosing Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield West Virginia.”
Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) companies across the nation have recognized more than 1,000 hospitals as Blue Distinction Centers for Maternity Care. Hospitals recognized with this distinction are assessed using a combination of quality information supplied by hospitals and cost measures derived from BCBS companies’ medical claims.
For more information about the program, visit www.bcbs.com/bluedistinction.
About Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield West Virginia
Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield West Virginia serves approximately 300,000 members through the company’s healthcare benefits business and hundreds of thousands of additional members through the Blue Card program. Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of West Virginia holds the largest share of the commercial market and ranks number three in overall market share, behind two large national carriers. With offices in in Parkersburg, Charleston, and Wheeling, it employs nearly 700 people. Highmark West Virginia is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more information, visit www.highmark.com.
About Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is a national federation of 36 independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide healthcare coverage for one in three Americans. BCBSA provides healthcare insights through The Health of America Report series and the national BCBS Health Index. For more information on BCBSA and its member companies, please visit bcbs.com. We also encourage you to connect with us on Facebook, check out our videos on YouTube, follow us on Twitter, and check out our blog.
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 providers 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 healthcare. Each provider’s cost of care is evaluated using data from its Local Blue Plan. Providers 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 www.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.