Published: July 24, 2013
Sparrow Health System has earned a designation as a Blue Distinction Center+ for Cardiac Care SM by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
The + distinction indicates that Sparrow not only meets the quality‐focused, Patient safety and outcome criteria required to be a Blue Distinction Center for Cardiac Care®, but also undertakes cost of care measures to do it efficiently.
"I'm proud that we've earned this notable distinction, joining only about 500 other facilities in the country, proving that we can provide state‐of‐the‐science technology and the best Patient care, right here in mid‐Michigan." said Joel Cohn, M.D., FACC, Director of the Sparrow Heart and Vascular Center.
To receive a Blue Distinction Center+ for Cardiac CareSM designation, a hospital must demonstrate success in meeting both general quality and safety criteria (such as preventing hospital‐acquired infections) and cardiac‐specific quality measures (related to lower rates of complications and death following cardiac surgery; and non‐surgical procedures, such as cardiac stent placement) and, additionally, must show better cost efficiency relative to their peers.
The American Heart Association estimates that 1.2 million Americans will experience a first or recurrent heart attack each year.
Sparrow offers the region's newest, most modern cardiovascular center, and is a leader in the diagnosis and treatment of heart and vascular disease and in compassionate, patient‐centered care. For more information on the Sparrow Heart and Vascular Center, visit sparrow.org/heart.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network are nonprofit corporations and independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more company information, visit bcbsm.com.