Blue Cross recognizes Blue Distinction Center+ designations for bariatric surgery

Thirteen Michigan facilities received distinction in the area of bariatric surgery this year. As you may recall from previous Record articles, a facility can earn the designation of either a Blue Distinction^® Center — for delivering quality care resulting in better overall outcomes for bariatric patients — or Blue Distinction^® Center+ for delivering the same quality care as a Blue Distinction Center while also meeting key requirements for cost-efficiency. See a list of designated facilities at the end of this article.

To receive a Blue Distinction Center for bariatric surgery designation, a health care facility must:

• Demonstrate success in meeting patient safety measures.
• Demonstrate success in meeting bariatric-specific quality measures, including complications and readmissions for gastric stapling or gastric banding procedures.
• Have earned national accreditations at both the facility level and the bariatric care-specific level.

To receive a Blue Distinction Center+ for bariatric surgery designation, a health care facility must:

• Demonstrate quality. Only those facilities that first meet Blue Distinction’s nationally established, objective quality measures will be considered for Blue Distinction Center+ designation
• Meet the criteria for a Blue Distinction Center for bariatric surgery.
• Demonstrate better cost-efficiency compared to its peers.

This year’s bariatric surgery designation includes facilities that are recognized for gastric banding, in addition to those recognized for gastric stapling.
Designated bariatric facilities
Here are the Michigan facilities that received distinction in the area of bariatric surgery as of Oct. 1, 2015: