PINEHURST — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina has designated FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital as a Blue Distinction Center Plus in the Blue Distinction Centers for Cardiac Care part of the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program.
Blue Distinction Centers are nationally designated health care facilities shown to deliver better health outcomes and improved patient safety that is based on objective measures developed with input from the medical community.
Research shows that facilities designated as Blue Distinction Centers demonstrate better quality and improved outcomes for patients compared with their peers. On average, facilities designated as a Blue Distinction Center Plus for Cardiac Care are 20 percent more cost-efficient in an episode of care compared to non-Blue Distinction Center Plus-designated health care facilities.
Quality is key: Only those facilities that first meet nationally established quality measures for Blue Distinction Centers were considered for designation as a Blue Distinction Center Plus, according to members of the FirstHealth cardiac care team.
“As a BCBS Blue Distinction Center in cardiac care, Moore Regional and its Reid Heart Center are among only 10 facilities in the state to be so recognized for our ability to deliver cost-effective, high-quality cardiac specialty care,” said Dr. Peter L. Duffy, a cardiologist and medical director of the Reid Heart Center at Moore Regional Hospital.
“This designation highlights our team-based approach to providing care that is effective, efficient, patient-centered, safe and timely. It substantiates our mission, ‘to care for people,’ and reinforces what so many of our patients already know that you will get the best care for your heart right here in Moore County.”
To receive a Blue Distinction Center Plus for Cardiac Care designation, a hospital must demonstrate its expertise in delivering safe and effective cardiac care, focusing on cardiac valve surgery, coronary artery bypass graft and percutaneous coronary intervention episodes of care. A hospital must also have earned national accreditation at the facility level. In addition to meeting established quality thresholds, these hospitals must also demonstrate better cost-efficiency compared to their peers.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., claiming more than 610,000 lives — one in four — each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. By 2030, 40.5 percent of the U.S. population is projected to have some form of cardiovascular disease and the cost of cardiac care is expected to reach $818 billion by 2030 — an increase of almost 300 percent from 2010, according to the American Heart Association.
The Blue Distinction Specialty Care program seeks to reduce this burden by empowering patients with the knowledge and tools to find both quality and value for their cardiac care, the hospital said.
“We’re doing the homework for our customers by putting a spotlight on hospitals and facilities that offer high-quality services at a fair price.” said Dr. Brian Caveney, chief medical officer of BCBSNC. “With health care costs continuing to rise, patients want to know how much value they are getting for their health care dollar. Identifying which providers meet or exceed industry standards is an important part of that equation.”
For more information about the BCBS program and for a complete listing of the designated facilities, visit www.bcbs.com/bluedistinction. For more information about cardiac care services provided by FirstHealth of the Carolinas, go to www.firsthealth.org/heart.
Brenda Bouser works in corporate communications for FirstHealth of the Carolinas.