EASLEY — BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina has recognized several S.C. hospitals, including Baptist Easley, with a Blue Distinction Center for Maternity Care designation as part of the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program.
According to a company spokesperson, Blue Distinction Centers are nationally designated hospitals that show “expertise in delivering improved patient safety and better health outcomes, based on objective measures that were developed with input from the medical community.”
Since 2006, the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program has helped patients find quality specialty care in several areas including cancer care, cardiac care, maternity care, knee and hip replacements, spine surgery and transplants. Research shows that, compared to other hospitals, those designated as Blue Distinction Centers demonstrate better quality and improved outcomes for patients, they said.
The facilities being recognized as Blue Distinction Centers for quality and cost are: Aiken Regional Medical Centers, Aiken; AnMed Health Medical Center, Anderson; Beaufort Memorial Hospital, Beaufort; Bon Secours St Francis Xavier Hospital, Charleston; Carolinas Hospital System, Florence; Conway Hospital, Conway; East Cooper Medical Center, Mount Pleasant; GHS Greenville Memorial Hospital, Greenville; GHS Greer Memorial Hospital, Greer; Grand Strand Medical Center, Myrtle Beach; Lexington Medical Center, Lexington; MUSC Medical Center, Charleston; Piedmont Medical Center, Rock Hill; Roper Mount Pleasant Hospital, Mount Pleasant; Springs Memorial Hospital, Lancaster; St. Francis Eastside, Greenville; The Regional Medical Center of Orangeburg & Calhoun Counties, Orangeburg and Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital, Murrells Inlet.
The facilities recognized as Blue Distinction Centers for quality are: Baptist Easley Hospital, Easley; Coastal Carolina Hospital, Hardeeville; Colleton Medical Center, Walterboro; GHS Laurens County Memorial Hospital, Clinton; GHS Oconee Memorial Hospital, Seneca; Hilton Head Hospital, Hilton Head Island; Kershaw Health, Camden; Newberry County Memorial Hospital, Newberry; Palmetto Health Baptist, Columbia; Palmetto Health Baptist Parkridge, Columbia; Palmetto Health Richland, Columbia; Palmetto Health Tuomey, Sumter; Self Regional Healthcare, Greenwood; Tidelands Georgetown Memorial Hospital, Georgetown and Trident Medical Center, North Charleston.
Headquartered in Columbia and operating in S.C. for more than 70 years, BlueCross BlueShield of S.C. is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA). The only S.C.-owned and operated health insurance carrier, the organization comprises more than 20 companies involved in health insurance services, U.S. DoD health program and Medicare contracts, other insurance and employee benefits services and a philanthropic foundation that funds programs to improve health care and access to health care for South Carolinians.
BCBSA 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 one in three Americans. BCBSA provides health care insights through The Health of America Report series and the national BCBS Health Index.
For more information on BCBSA and its member companies, visit www.bcbs.com.