In an effort to help prospective parents find hospitals that deliver quality, affordable maternity care, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota announced that CHI St. Alexius Health has been designated as one of the first hospitals to receive the Blue Distinction® Center+ for Maternity Care designation, a new designation under the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program.
Nearly four million babies are born in the U.S. annually, making childbirth the most common cause of hospitalization. This new Blue Distinction Centers+ for Maternity Care program evaluates hospitals on several quality measures, including the percentage of newborns that fall into the category of early elective delivery, an ongoing concern in the medical community. Compared with babies born 39 weeks or later, early term infants face higher risks of infant death and respiratory ailments such as respiratory distress syndrome, pneumonia, and respiratory failure, among other conditions. These babies also have a higher rate of admission to Neonatal Intensive Care Units.
In addition, hospitals that receive a Blue Distinction Center+ for Maternity Care designation agreed to meet requirements that align with principles that support evidence-based practices of care, as well as having initiated programs to promote successful breastfeeding, as described in the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative by Baby-Friendly USA or the Mother-Friendly Hospital program by the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) through its “Ten Steps of Mother-Friendly Care.” The program also evaluates hospitals on overall patient satisfaction, including a willingness to recommend the hospital to others.
Blue Distinction Centers+ for Maternity Care, an expansion of the national Blue Distinction Specialty Care program, are hospitals recognized for delivering quality, affordable specialty care safely and effectively, based on objective measures developed with input from the medical community. To receive a Blue Distinction Centers+ for Maternity Care designation, a hospital must also meet requirements for cost efficiency.
“More babies in this region are born at CHI St. Alexius Health than any other health care facility,” said Kurt Schley, CHI St. Alexius Health’s CEO. “For us to be one of the first hospitals to receive the Blue Distinction Center+ for Maternity Care designation shows our commitment to providing quality care through every stage of a person’s life.”
“Mothers want the very best care for their babies,” said Jan Bury, MD, OB/GYN with Mid Dakota Clinic and department chair for OB/GYN at CHI St. Alexius Health. “This designation provides an additional layer of confidence that they have made the right decision, not just for their babies but also for themselves.”
“Improving quality of care is so important as we move from traditional fee-for-service reimbursement model to a quality outcome-based model,” said Jacquelyn Walsh, vice president of Clinical Excellence and Quality in Health Network Innovation at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota. Facilities like CHI St. Alexius Health help ensure that patients receive the safest, most effective specialty care. As a Blue Distinction Center, CHI St. Alexius Health has demonstrated its commitment to its patients as well as its expertise in providing specialty care. The Blue Distinction Centers for Specialty Care programs allow our members to make informed decisions about their personal health care.”
Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) companies across the nation have recognized more than 650 hospitals as Blue Distinction Centers+ for Maternity Care. Hospitals recognized for these designations were assessed using a combination of publicly available quality information and cost measures derived from BCBS companies’ medical claims.
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, spine surgery and transplants. Research shows that, compared to other facilities, those designated as Blue Distinction Centers demonstrate better quality and improved outcomes for patients. On average, Blue Distinction Centers+ are also 20 percent more cost-efficient than non-Blue Distinction Center+ designated health care facilities.
For more information about the program, click here.