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• Sam Musser - 2011 Nurse Excellence Recipient!
• Blue Distinction - Knee and Hip Replacement
• Vickie Mayer: 2011 Employee of the Year!
• Grace Church: 2011 Volunteer of the Year!
Welcome
Blue Distinction Center for Spine Surgery
St. Joseph Regional Medical Center was designated a Blue Distinction Center for Spine Surgery. Blue Distinction Centers for Spine Surgery are part of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association’s expansion of its Blue Distinction® designation.
“We are very appreciative to be designated a Blue Distinction Center for Spine Surgery” said Howard Hayes, President & CEO. Hayes goes on to say “this is truly made possible collectively by a professional staff that lives the Mission and Philosophy at St. Joe’s, and the surgical leadership provided by Doctors William Hill, Donald Soloniuk and Gregory Dietrich.
The selection criteria used to evaluate facilities were developed with input from a panel of expert physicians. To be designated as a Blue Distinction Center for Spine Surgery the following types of criteria were evaluated.
- Established acute care inpatient facility, including intensive care, emergency care, and a full range of patient support services with full accreditation by a CMS-deemed national accreditation organization
- Experience and training of program surgeons, including case volume
- Quality management programs, including surgical checklists as well as tracking and evaluation of clinical outcomes and process of care
- Multi-disciplinary clinical pathways and teams to coordinate and streamline care, including transitions of care
- Shared decision making and preoperative patient education
The Blue Distinction designation is awarded by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies to medical facilities that have demonstrated expertise in delivering quality health care in the areas of bariatric surgery, cardiac care, complex and rare cancers, knee and hip replacement, spine surgery and transplants. The program is part of The Blues® efforts to collaborate with physicians and medical facilities to improve the overall quality and safety of specialty care.
