Baptist Jacksonville Earns Blue Distinction® Center+ Designation for Knee and Hip Replacement Surgeries
Jacksonville, FL (PRWEB) March 24, 2016 -- Florida Blue has selected Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville as a Blue Distinction Center+ for Knee and Hip Replacement, part of the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program.
Blue Distinction Centers are nationally designated health care facilities shown to deliver improved patient safety and better health outcomes based on objective measures that were developed by Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies with input from the medical community.
Knee and hip replacement procedures are among the fastest growing medical treatments in the U.S. according to studies published in the June 2014 Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
“Baptist Health is a proven leader in orthopedic care and we provide a comprehensive approach to the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal injuries and disorders for restoring mobility and quality of life,” said Ed Hubel, assistant administrator for Baptist Health orthopedics service line. “Our Baptist hospitals combine the most advanced technology with a dedicated team of adult and pediatric orthopedic surgeons, medical professionals and other support team members. We are affiliated with specialty trained physicians of Jacksonville Orthopaedic Institute (JOI) – northeast Florida’s most respected name in hand, arm, foot, ankle, joint, spine and sports medicine.”
Hospitals designated as Blue Distinction Centers+ for Knee and Hip Replacement demonstrate expertise in total knee and total hip replacement surgeries, resulting in fewer patient complications and hospital readmissions. Designated hospitals must also maintain national accreditation. In addition to meeting these quality thresholds, hospitals designated as Blue Distinction Centers+ are on average 20 percent more cost-efficient in an episode of care compared to other hospitals. Quality is key: only those facilities that first meet nationally established, objective quality measures will be considered for designation as a Blue Distinction Center+.
“Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville and our Baptist Center for Joint Replacement are proud to be recognized by Florida Blue for meeting the robust selection criteria for knee and hip replacements set by the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program,” said Michael Mayo, hospital president of Baptist Jacksonville.
The Baptist Center for Joint Replacement opened in June 2009 at Baptist Jacksonville. The Center for Joint Replacement provides a higher level of education and therapy to more than 4,000 patients while preparing them for a shorter hospital stay and more independence when they return home. The Center for Joint Replacement works with physicians and physician assistants from Jacksonville Orthopaedic Institute, who conduct the hip and knee procedures such as robotic-assisted total hip and robotic-assisted partial knee replacement surgery. Baptist Jacksonville has offered MAKOplasty® partial knee resurfacing using the RIO system since 2012 and was the first in the region in 2015 to begin MAKOplasty® Hip Arthroplasty.
“The Baptist Center for Joint Replacement is a one of a kind in northeast Florida with a dedicated team of care providers specifically focused on delivering specialized care to patients undergoing any type of joint replacement surgery,” said William Pujadas, MD, medical director of the center and orthopedic surgeon with Jacksonville Orthopaedic Institute. “The experience begins with the initial office visit, preoperative class education and exercise program followed by the surgery itself, which is performed at a state-of-the-art facility utilizing the most advanced techniques, performed by highly trained, board-certified physicians. This is followed by the postoperative course, which the family is encouraged to participate in and includes highly trained physical therapists and orthopedic nurses with specialized training in care for total joint replacement patients.”
Other procedures at the Center for Joint Replacement include total knee arthroplasty, total hip arthroplasty and hip resurfacing. In total, about 60 people, including JOI physicians and physician assistants along with physical therapists and nurses from Baptist Health, assist patients in their recovery. Blanca McKean, MSN,RN,NE-BC, is the Baptist Health director who oversees the center, along with Kathy Vanderbeck, ARNP, OCNS-C, ONC, the center’s program coordinator and Dorothy Cobb, RN, MSN, the nurse manager.
About Baptist Health
Baptist Health is a faith-based, mission-driven system in Northeast Florida comprised of Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville; Baptist Medical Center Beaches; Baptist Medical Center Nassau; Baptist Medical Center South; Baptist Clay Medical Campus and Wolfson Children’s Hospital – the region’s only children’s hospital. All Baptist Health hospitals, along with Baptist Home Health Care, have achieved Magnet™ status for excellence in patient care. Baptist Health is part of Coastal Community Health, a regional affiliation between Baptist Health, Flagler Hospital and Southeast Georgia Health System forming a highly integrated hospital network focused on significant initiatives designed to enhance the quality and value of care provided to our contiguous communities. Baptist Health has the area’s only dedicated heart hospital; orthopedic institute; women’s services; neurological institute, including comprehensive neurosurgical services, a comprehensive stroke center and two primary stroke centers; a Bariatric Center of Excellence; a full range of psychology and psychiatry services; urgent care services; and primary and specialty care physicians’ offices throughout Northeast Florida. The Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center is a regional destination for multidisciplinary cancer care which is clinically integrated with the MD Anderson Cancer Center, the internationally renowned cancer treatment and research institution in Houston. For more details, visit baptistjax.com.
About the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is a national federation of 36 independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide health care coverage for nearly 105 million members – one-in-three Americans. For more information on the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and its member companies, please visit bcbs.com. We encourage you to connect with us on Facebook, check out our videos on YouTube, follow us on Twitter and check out The BCBS Blog, for up-to-date information about BCBSA.
About Blue Distinction Centers
Blue Distinction Centers (BDC) met overall quality measures for patient safety and outcomes, developed with input from the medical community. A local Blue Plan may require additional criteria for facilities located in its own service area; for details, contact your local Blue Plan. Blue Distinction Centers+ (BDC+) also met cost measures that address consumers’ need for affordable health care. Each facility’s cost of care is evaluated using data from its local Blue Plan. Facilities in CA, ID, NY, PA, and WA may lie in two local Blue Plans’ areas, resulting in two evaluations for cost of care; and their own local Blue Plans decide whether one or both cost of care evaluation(s) must meet BDC+ national criteria. National criteria for BDC and BDC+ are displayed on bcbs.com. Individual outcomes may vary. For details on a provider’s in-network status or your own policy’s coverage, contact your local Blue Plan and ask your provider before making an appointment. Neither the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association nor any Blue Plans are responsible for non-covered charges or other losses or damages resulting from Blue Distinction or other provider finder information or care received from Blue Distinction or other providers.
Deborah Circelli, Baptist Health, http://www.baptistjax.com/, +1 (904) 202-4916, [email protected]
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