February 7, 2019
You have a well-developed referral pattern, but are the specialty care referrals high-quality and cost efficient? The Blue Distinction Specialty Care designations can help.
We have developed two levels of designations:
- BDC: providers who are high quality
- BDC+: providers who are high quality and cost efficient
These designations are awarded nationally by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and require that facilities share the same quality data they’re reporting to existing third-party registries for their specialty.
Designated facilities have fewer readmissions, re-surgeries, and surgical site infections. The cost criteria are established using historical claims data with the goal of at least 20% savings.
There are designations for the following specialties that are known for having significant variance in cost and quality nationwide:
- Bariatric Surgery
- Cancer Care
- Cardiac Care
- Cellular Immunotherapy
- Fertility Care
- Gene Therapy
- Knee & Hip Replacements
- Maternity Care
- Spine Surgery
- Transplants
We want it to be simple to make informed specialty care referrals based on quality and cost in Washington and Alaska. There is a one-page reference guide for the specialty care designations, to compare facilities, and to see if a facility has been identified as high quality and low cost. In Alaska, the number of facilities perusing designations is growing. Use this nationwide tool to check for high-quality, cost efficient providers in Alaska or wherever your patients are seeking care.
This article is the final part of a series dedicated to understanding value-based healthcare (part one, part two, part three).