Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana has recognized Willis-Knighton Medical Center with a Blue Distinction Centers+ for Cardiac Care designation, as part of the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program.
Willis-Knighton is the only Shreveport-Bossier area healthcare provider with this designation. Blue Distinction Centers are nationally designated providers that show expertise in delivering improved 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.
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death globally and is expected to claim more than 23.6 million lives annually by 2030. Blue Distinction Centers+ for Cardiac Care seek to empower patients with the knowledge and tools to find quality cardiac care. To receive a Blue Distinction Centers+ designation, hospitals must demonstrate expertise in delivering safe and effective cardiac care, focusing on cardiac valve surgery, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), and percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) episodes of care. Hospitals receiving a Blue Distinction Centers+ designation must also demonstrate better cost-efficiency compared to their peers.
Only those hospitals that first meet nationally established quality measures for Blue Distinction Centers are considered for designation as a Blue Distinction Centers+.
“We’re honored to be recognized by Blue Cross Blue Shield for providing high quality cardiac care to the community,” says Chris Sale, administrator of Willis-Knighton Heart & Vascular Institute. “Our staff and physicians work together as a heart team to deliver the best patient care possible and help people live healthier lives. It should give comfort to people around the region that they don’t have to travel to Dallas, Houston, or New Orleans to receive the highest quality heart care. We provide it right here at Willis-Knighton.”
Hospitals recognized with this designation are assessed using a combination of quality information supplied by hospitals and third party data registries, and cost measures derived from Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies’ medical claims.
Since 2006, the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program has helped patients find quality specialty care in the areas of bariatric surgery, cancer care, cardiac care, cellular immunotherapy, fertility care, gene therapy, knee and hip replacements, maternity care, spine surgery, and transplants, while encouraging health care professionals to improve the care they deliver. Research shows that compared to other providers, 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 providers.