Natividad Medical Center Receives Blue Distinction Recognition for Bariatrics and Maternity Care
- March 14, 2018
Natividad has been recognized with a Blue Distinction® Center for Bariatric Surgery and a Blue Distinction® Center for Maternity Care designation by Blue Cross Blue Shield. The Blue Distinction Specialty Care program recognizes nationally designated health care facilities that show expertise in delivering improved patient safety and better health outcomes.
To receive a Blue Distinction Center for Bariatric Surgery designation, a health care facility must demonstrate success in meeting patient safety measures as well as bariatric-specific quality measures, including complication and readmission rates for laparoscopic procedures in sleeve gastrectomy, gastric bypass and adjustable gastric band. The Blue Distinction Centers for Maternity Care program evaluates hospitals on quality measures for vaginal and cesarean delivery in addition to decreased early elective delivery rates.
“Bariatric surgeries are among the most common elective surgeries in the U.S.,” said Dr. Alexander Di Stante, director of bariatric surgery at Natividad. “In addition to accreditation by the American College of Surgeons Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation, and Quality Improvement Program, the Blue Distinction Center distinction recognizes NMC’s quality care and better overall outcomes we provide patients in our community.”
This is the second time Natividad has been awarded the Blue Distinction recognition for both Bariatrics and Maternity Care.
“We take great pride in providing high quality maternity care to our community,” said Dr. Peter Chandler, director of OB/GYN at Natividad. “We are honored to be recognized by Blue Cross Blue Shield for our expertise and a commitment to quality care for vaginal and cesarean section deliveries.”
Natividad’s Maternity Care was also recently been named to Smart Care California’s C-section Honor Roll for the second consecutive year. These efforts include improving C-section rates, applying critical safety measures, ensuring that mothers get timely and high-quality prenatal and postpartum care, and achieving ‘baby-friendly’ status with Baby-Friendly USA.
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About the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (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, please visit bcbs.com.
About Blue Distinction Centers
Blue Distinction Centers (BDC) met overall quality measures for patient safety and outcomes, developed with input from the medical community. A Local Blue Plan may require additional criteria for providers located in its own service area; for details, contact your Local Blue Plan. Blue Distinction Centers+ (BDC+) also met cost measures that address consumers’ need for affordable health care. Each provider’s cost of care is evaluated using data from its Local Blue Plan. Providers in CA, ID, NY, PA, and WA may lie in two Local Blue Plans’ areas, resulting in two evaluations for cost of care; and their own Local Blue Plans decide whether one or both cost of care evaluation(s) must meet BDC+ national criteria. National criteria for BDC and BDC+ are displayed on www.bcbs.com. Individual outcomes may vary. For details on a provider’s in-network status or your own policy’s coverage, contact your Local Blue Plan and ask your provider before making an appointment. Neither Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association nor any Blue Plans are responsible for non-covered charges or other losses or damages resulting from Blue Distinction or other provider finder information or care received from Blue Distinction or other providers.
About Natividad
Owned and operated by Monterey County, Natividad is a 172-bed, acute-care hospital providing health care services to county residents for more than 132 years. Based in Salinas, California, Natividad offers inpatient, outpatient, emergency, diagnostic and specialty medical care. Natividad provides more than 38,000 patient days of care each year and has more than 52,000 emergency department visits per year. Natividad is a Level II Trauma Center providing the immediate availability of specialized personnel, equipment and services to treat the most severe and critical injuries. Natividad’s Trauma Center is a vital community service locally that saves lives and eliminates the need to fly critically injured patients to a distant trauma center. Natividad is ranked No. 1 in newborn deliveries in Monterey County and is the only teaching hospital on the Central Coast through its affiliation with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). With a medical staff of more than 350 physicians, Natividad’s mission is to continually monitor and improve the health of the people, including the vulnerable, in Monterey County through coordinated, affordable high-quality health care. For more information, please call 831-755-4111 or visit www.natividad.com.