Memorial Health Named Southeast Georgia’s Only Blue Distinction Center For Cardiac Care

Memorial Health in Savannah, Georgia was selected as southeast Georgia’s only Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) Blue Distinction Center for Cardiac Care. Blue Distinction is the BCBSA’s nationwide program for specialty care that identifies quality providers around the country.

The process used to select Blue Distinction Centers is based on clinical data from hospital registries. Each facility’s structure, processes, and care outcomes are rigorously evaluated. The criteria include nationally endorsed quality measures developed in collaboration with medical experts and professional organizations.

“This distinction is especially important to us because it is based on actual patient outcomes and quality indicators. It proves that Memorial Health is the place to go for world-class cardiac care,” said Robert A. Colvin, president and CEO of Memorial Health.

The criteria for becoming a Blue Distinction Center for Cardiac Care include:
• Full-service, accredited inpatient hospital facility;
• Performs 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.

“Blue Distinction puts a high value on research and evidenced-based health and medical information,” says Allan Korn, M.D., BCBSA’s chief medical officer. “These centers show our commitment to working with doctors and hospitals in communities across the country to identify leading institutions that meet clinically validated quality standards and deliver better outcomes in patient care.”

The BCBSA is comprised of 38 independent, locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide healthcare coverage for more than 94 million – nearly one-in three – Americans.

Memorial Health is a two-state healthcare organization serving a 35-county area in southeast Georgia and southern South Carolina. The system includes its flagship Memorial Health University Medical Center, a 530-bed tertiary medical center; CareOne, its two-state home care division; Memorial Health University Physicians, the area's largest group practice; a major medical education program; business and industry services; and NurseOne, a 24-hour call center. Memorial Health is the only healthcare system in the country to be named a Distinguished Hospital by J.D. Power and Associates and one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” by Fortune Magazine. Visit the Memorial Health Web site at www.memorialhealth.com