BIRMINGHAM, AL (July 11, 2011) - Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama has designated Trinity Medical Center as a Blue Distinction Center for Knee and Hip Replacement®. Blue Distinction Centers for Knee and Hip Replacement are part of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association’s expansion of its Blue Distinction® designation.
“It is an honor for Trinity Medical Center to be identified as a facility that demonstrates expertise in knee and hip replacement by Blue Cross and Blue Shield,” says L. Keith Granger, President and CEO of Trinity Medical Center. “Meeting the quality standards set forth by Blue Cross and Blue Shield is something our team of physicians, nurses and therapists can take pride in.”
Trinity Medical Center offers comprehensive knee and hip replacement services, including an educational pre-surgery joint class, a dedicated inpatient unit, inpatient therapy services and outpatient therapy services.
The selection criteria used to evaluate facilities were developed with input from a panel of expert physicians. The designation is based on rigorous, clinically meaningful measures established in collaboration with expert physicians’ and medical organization’s input. The program’s goal is to help consumers find healthcare facilities that have demonstrated better overall outcomes - such as fewer medical complications, fewer readmissions and higher survival rates – in the delivery of specialty care. For each specialty area, Blue Cross Blue Shield seeks input from leading medical organizations to do a thorough review of nationally established measures and evidence-based research and works closely with expert physicians.
The Blue Distinction designation is awarded by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies to medical facilities that have demonstrated expertise in delivering quality healthcare in the areas of bariatric surgery, cardiac care, complex and rare cancers, knee and hip replacement, spine surgery and transplants. The program is part of The Blues® efforts to collaborate with physicians and medical facilities to improve the overall quality and safety of specialty care.
Note: Designation as Blue Distinction Centers® means these facilities’ overall experience and aggregate data met objective criteria established in collaboration with expert clinicians’ and leading professional organizations’ recommendations. Individual outcomes may vary. To find out which services are covered under your policy at any facilities, please call your local Blue
Cross and/or Blue Shield Plan; and call your provider before making an appointment, to verify the most current information on its Network participation and Blue Distinction status. Neither Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association nor any of its Licensees are responsible for any damages, losses, or non-covered charges that may result from using Blue Distinction or other provider finder information or receiving care from a Blue Distinction or other provider.
ABOUT TRINITY MEDICAL CENTER:
Trinity Medical Center is a tertiary care hospital serving residents of Birmingham and surrounding communities. The hospital offers programs and services in all medical and surgical areas. This includes cardiology, robotic surgery, orthopedics, oncology, neurology, women’s health, mental health, digestive diseases, geriatrics, physical medicine and rehab, sports medicine, cardiac and pulmonary rehab, and emergency care. The hospital’s medical staff includes more than 600 physicians representing 30 specialties and subspecialties.
Long recognized as a leader in cardiology services, Trinity Medical Center has been ranked by HealthGrades as number one in Alabama for Overall Cardiac Services. The hospital also received the HealthGrades Coronary Intervention Excellence Award. Trinity Medical Center is one of 32 hospitals nationwide recognized with a Triple Gold Performance Recognition in US News and World Report for performance achievement in Coronary Artery Disease, Heart Failure and Stroke through the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get with the Guidelines.
The hospital is also home to a GI Lab that is regionally recognized, has a dedicated Neuro ICU, a Bariatric Center of Excellence, Wound Care Center, Sleep Disorders Center and the
da Vinci robotic surgical system for minimally invasive surgery.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.