In an effort to help prospective parents find hospitals that
deliver quality, affordable maternity care, Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield
announced that Grinnell Regional Medical Center 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 United States
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.
“Receiving this award is a reflection of
our patient satisfaction
scores. Being recognized as a Blue Distinction Center+ for Maternity Care is
further proof and encouragement to our patients that they will receive quality
healthcare both in the OB and at GRMC,” says Sheryl Baarda, RN, OB nurse manager in
the Kintzinger Women’s Health Center. “We have been actively pursuing new opportunities to excel in
obstetrics services. Our exceptional obstetrical providers and staff have made
this recognition possible.”
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.
