COVINGTON – Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana named St. Tammany Health System a Blue Distinction Center for Knee and Hip Replacement, part of the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program.
Blue Distinction Centers are nationally designated healthcare facilities that show a commitment to delivering high-quality patient safety and better health outcomes, based on objective measures that were developed with input from the medical community and leading accreditation and quality organizations.
“As the heartbeat of our community, St. Tammany Health System is proud to care for its patients and their families with excellence, compassion and teamwork,” said Joan M. Coffman, the system’s CEO. “Quite honestly, this distinction from Blue Cross recognizes our values of teamwork, trust, compassion, quality and innovation.”
The honor recognizes an area of surgical performance at STHS – knee and hip replacement – recently expanded at the system’s flagship, St. Tammany Parish Hospital, by acquisition of MAKO surgical robotics capabilities for total hips and knees.
Facilities designated as Blue Distinction Centers for Knee and Hip Replacement demonstrate expertise in total knee and total hip replacement surgeries, resulting in fewer patient complications and hospital re-admissions. Designated facilities include hospitals (with and without an onsite intensive care unit) and ambulatory surgery centers. All designated facilities must maintain national accreditation, and ASCs are also required to have an advanced orthopedic certification.
In addition to meeting these quality thresholds, hospitals designated as Blue Distinction Centers+ are on average 20% more cost-efficient in an episode of care compared to other facilities. STHS is proud to be recognized by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana for meeting the robust selection criteria for knee and hip replacements set by the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program. Only those facilities that first meet nationally established, objective quality measures will be considered for the designation.
