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Upstate University Hospital honored for delivering quality and cost-effective care

Upstate University Hospital honored for delivering quality and cost-effective care

SYRACUSE, N.Y.-- Upstate University Hospital has been recognized as Blue Distinction Centers+ by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield for expertise in quality and cost efficiency in delivering specialty care.

Upstate’s Downtown and Community campuses received the designation for their spine surgery programs. Upstate’s Community Campus was also recognized for its knee and hip replacement programs.

“The recognition of these specialty areas is a testament to the dedication of the Upstate medical staff in providing excellent care to our patients and their families,” said John McCabe, M.D., chief executive officer of Upstate University Hospital.

Since 2006, consumers, medical providers and employers have relied on the Blue Distinction program to identify hospitals delivering quality care in bariatric surgery, cardiac care, complex and rare cancers, knee and hip replacements, spine surgery and transplants.

The Blue Distinction Centers for Specialty Care program expanded recently to include new cost-efficiency measures, as well as more robust quality measures focused on improved patient health and safety.

“Local hospitals continue to prove that they can offer high-quality care at an affordable price,” said Arthur Vercillo, M.D., regional president of Excellus BCBS. “The Blue Distinction+ recognition acknowledges that we collaborate with health care institutions in Syracuse to jointly tackle such issues as improving quality of care and reducing readmissions and hospital-acquired infections.”

Research confirms that the newly designated Blue Distinction Centers+ demonstrate better quality and improved outcomes for patients and have lower rates of complications and readmissions than their peers. Blue Distinction Centers+ are also more than 20 percent more cost-efficient. The program provides consumers with tools to help them make better-informed health care decisions. It will also enable employers, working together with Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, to tailor benefits to meet their individual quality and cost objectives.

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