Brookwood Medical Center designated a Blue Distinction Center for Cardiac Care by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association

Birmingham – The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association has chosen Brookwood Medical Center as a Blue Distinction Center for Cardiac Care. Blue Distinction is a national program that the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association hopes will create an unprecedented level of healthcare transparency. Through this type of recognition, Blue Cross hopes to achieve two goals: to engage health care consumers to provide for more informed healthcare decisions, and to collaborate with providers to improve quality outcomes and affordability.

“We are very pleased to receive this important recognition from Blue Cross,” says Garry Gause, President and Chief Executive Officer of Brookwood Medical Center. “As always, Blue Cross and Blue Shield is showing leadership and forward-thinking in providing avenues for hospitals and consumers to share information in a positive and productive way.”

As a designated Blue Distinction Center for Cardiac Care, Brookwood Medical Center provides a full range of cardiac care services, including inpatient cardiac care, cardiac rehabilitation, cardiac catheterization and cardiac surgery. The goal of the Blue Distinction Centers is to give consumers the information they need about complex conditions and procedures and specialty care resources, empowering them to make more effective healthcare decisions.

Selection criteria for the Blue Distinction Centers for Cardiac Care were developed with the objectives of improving overall patient outcomes and delivering better value. The criteria used to designate the Centers were established through collaboration with expert physician panels and national organizations.

• Full-service, accredited impatient hospital facility;
• Program must be performing a required volume of percutaneous coronary interventions and coronary artery bypass graft surgeries and provide a full range of services including inpatient cardiac care and cardiac rehabilitation;
• Sub-specialty board certification of cardiac team;
• Ongoing quality management and improvement programs; and
• Cardiac care processes and outcomes for acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, percutaneous coronary interventions and coronary artery bypass graft surgery including evaluation of complication and mortality rates.