This summer, PPMC was named a Blue Distinction Center for Spine Surgery by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA). The Blue Distinction program recognizes health care facilities and providers nationwide that expertly balance quality, cost, and access while delivering exceptional, personalized care across specialties ranging from maternity care to knee and hip replacement.
“Through the application period, our spine surgery program underwent a rigorous evaluation. This is an outstanding achievement, and it reflects the great care that our neurosurgery and orthopaedic spine teams provide to our patients,” said Ujwala Tambe, MSN, RN, director of Quality & Patient Safety for the Neuroscience service line.
The BCBSA evaluated a variety of metrics specific to spine surgery at PPMC, such as patient volume, programmatic structures, opioid usage, readmission and reoperation rates, and overall patient outcomes. For Kevin Fosnocht, MD, FACP, chief medical officer, succeeding in each of these assessment areas was “very gratifying.”
“Surgical and non-surgical spine interventions are common, but complex, and expanding the service line across our campus has been an area of focused growth for Presbyterian. This distinction recognizes the expertise and dedication that our providers bring to this specialty,” he said. “I’m very proud of all our physicians, nurses, and staff who go above and beyond every day and who made this designation as a Blue Distinction Center possible.”
Fosnocht added that PPMC’s place on the BCBSA’s list of Blue Distinction Centers not only celebrates the team’s commitment to successful outcomes, but it also helps prospective patients find the best care to meet their needs. Rather than combing through a plethora of resources to help them make health care decisions, patients and families can conveniently reference this national, public list online, and it will “point them towards us and inspire confidence in our ability to provide best-of-the-best care.”