Iowa Health - Des Moines had two hospitals recognized for surgical excellence by Wellmark® Blue Cross® and Blue Shield®. Iowa Methodist Medical Center has been named a Blue Distinction Center® for Knee and Hip Replacement Surgery and Spine Surgery. Methodist West Hospital has been named a Blue Distinction Center for Knee and Hip Replacement Surgery. Both hospitals were recognized for demonstrating better overall quality of care and patient results.
Blue Distinction is a national designation awarded by 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 or transplants. Iowa Health - Des Moines is proud to also be designated in complex and rare cancers, cardiac care and bariatric surgery.
To earn this designation, Iowa Methodist Medical Center and Methodist West Hospital were evaluated based on an objective, evidence-based selection criteria established with input from expert physicians and medical organizations. The goal of Blue Distinction is to identify medical facilities that deliver better overall quality and medical outcomes for a specific area of specialty care, helping patients and doctors to make more informed hospital choices.
"Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield is committed to working with hospitals and physicians to ensure the highest quality care for our members," says Tom Newton, Wellmark's director of network engagement. "The Blue Distinction designation is designed to help our members choose hospitals with a proven track record for meeting aggressive quality standards."
In 2010, Iowa Methodist Medical Center successfully completed 1,305 spine surgeries and 845 knee and hip replacement surgeries. Methodist West Hospital successfully completed 1,555 knee and hip replacement surgeries. Also in 2010, Iowa Methodist acquired the latest da Vinci model for robotic surgery and the O-Arm for enhanced imaging in neurosurgery.
"This designation is a tribute to the dedicated team of physicians, nurses, technicians and therapists who helped develop Iowa Methodist and Methodist West's comprehensive programs in total joint and spine surgeries," said Eric Crowell, Iowa Health - Des Moines President and CEO. "Their clinical expertise in this area of specialty care has resulted in better overall results for our patients."
About Blue Distinction
Blue Distinction selection criteria covers a broad range of quality measures and are publicly available on www.bcbs.com/bluedistinction. By earning the designation, Iowa Methodist and Methodist West have demonstrated:
• An established program, performing required annual volumes for certain procedures
• Appropriate experience of its care team
• Full facility accreditation by a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)-deemed national accreditation organization
• Adherence to evidence-based clinical care measures and guidelines
• A comprehensive quality management program
To learn more about the Blue Distinction designation, visit www.bcbs.com/bluedistinction.
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About Iowa Health - Des Moines
Iowa Health - Des Moines is the largest private medical service provider in the state, averages more than 30,000 inpatient admissions and 1,041,000 outpatient visits each year. It includes Iowa Methodist Medical Center, Iowa Lutheran Hospital, Methodist West Hospital, Blank Children's Hospital, and John Stoddard Cancer Center along with more than 50 primary care physician clinics throughout central Iowa. For more information, visit www.iowahealth.org.
About Wellmark
Wellmark, Inc. (www.wellmark.com ) does business as Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa. Wellmark and its subsidiaries and affiliated companies, including Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Dakota and Wellmark Health Plan of Iowa, Inc., insure or pay health benefit claims for more than 2 million members in Iowa and South Dakota. Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa, Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Dakota, and Wellmark Health Plan of Iowa, Inc. are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
Note: Designation as Blue Distinction Centers means these facilities' overall experience and aggregate data met objective criteria established in collaboration with expert clinicians' and leading professional organizations' recommendations. Individual outcomes may vary. To find out which services are covered under your policy at any facilities, please call your local Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield Plan; and call your provider before making an appointment, to verify the most current information on its Network participation and Blue Distinction status. Neither Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association nor any of its Licensees are responsible for any damages, losses, or non-covered charges that may result from using this resource or receiving care from a Blue Distinction provider.