Bayhealth Receives National Recognition for Cardiac Services

Bayhealth Hospital, Kent Campus has been recognized with a Blue Distinction Center® designation for delivering quality cardiac care, as part of Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield’s Blue Distinction Centers for Specialty Care® program. In addition, the hospital recently received CardiacSite certification for its interventional cardiology services through HealthHelp. The hospital is proud to be recognized by these two national programs for meeting their rigorous selection criteria in the specialty area of heart care.

The Blue Distinction Centers for Specialty Care program was developed in 2006 to help patients find excellent providers for specialty care needs and to improve standards of care nationwide. To be named a Blue Distinction Center for cardiac care, a hospital must demonstrate that it delivers high-quality specialty care based on specific measures that were developed with input from the medical community. These measures focus on patient safety, such as preventing hospital-acquired infections, and quality factors for cardiac surgical and non-surgical procedures, such as cardiac stent placement.

“Being designated again as a Blue Distinction Center for cardiac care is quite an honor. It demonstrates how deeply committed we at Bayhealth are to safety and exceptional patient care,” said Bayhealth Chief Cardiothoracic Surgeon Gary Szydlowski, MD.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the country and generates costs of more than $28 billion annually, with cardiac procedures such as bypass and cardiac stent placement being among the most common major medical procedures in the U.S. healthcare system. The Blue Distinction Centers for Specialty Care program aims to give patients the knowledge and tools to seek quality and value for their cardiac care needs. The program also recognizes hospitals for bariatric surgery, complex and rare cancers, knee and hip replacements, spine surgery, and transplants. Along with cardiac care, these specialty areas comprise approximately 30 percent of inpatient hospital expenditures. Research shows that Blue Distinction Centers demonstrate better quality and improved outcomes for patients, with lower rates of complications for certain cardiac procedures and lower rates of healthcare associated infections, compared with their peers.

The CardiacSite certification Bayhealth received was through HealthHelp, a company that has provided benefit management tools in diagnostic imaging, radiation oncology and interventional cardiology since 2005. To become CardiacSite certified, a facility and its providers must meet the highest standards for quality, safety and business efficiency. Bayhealth Hospital, Kent Campus earned the certification based on benchmarking for its facilities; the equipment and imaging systems used in its interventional cardiology program; the professional qualifications of the physicians, nurses and staff that work in Bayhealth’s Cardiac Catheterization lab; and overall standards for quality and patient safety.

The CardiacSite certification is not only good news for Bayhealth, but for those insured by the health insurance company Humana. Preauthorization requests for interventional cardiology services required by Humana are reviewed by HealthHelp. That means that Bayhealth is now a recommended provider for patients under Humana’s plan who may need cardiac diagnostic and interventional procedures.

“To be named a Blue Distinction Center for cardiac care and to receive the new CardiacSite certification for interventional cardiology speak to our continued efforts to improve heart health in the community,” said Bayhealth’s Senior Director of Operations for the Cardiovascular Service Line Greg Springer. “The recognitions are also a testament to our excellent facilities and equipment, a dedicated and talented team of professionals, and our strong commitment to quality outcomes and patient safety.”

Visit Bayhealth.org/Cardiovascular to learn more about the cardiovascular services Bayhealth offers. Please visit BCBS.com/BlueDistinction for more information about the Blue Distinction Center program and a complete listing of the designated facilities.

Call1-866-BAY-DOCS (229-3627) to be matched with a cardiologist or other physician to fit your needs.