BWFH earns Blue Distinction Center designation for quality in spine surgery

Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital has been recognized by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts as a Blue Distinction® Center for Spine Surgery, as part of the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program. Blue Distinction Centers are nationally designated health care facilities that show a commitment to delivering high-quality patient safety and better health outcomes, based on objective measures that were developed with input from the medical community and leading accreditation and quality organizations.

Spinal surgeries are one of the most frequent types of elective surgeries in the United States. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), there were more than 463,000 spinal fusion operations conducted in the United States in 2014, a procedure commonly done in the lumbar region of the lower back to treat back pain.

Facilities designated as Blue Distinction Centers for Spine Surgery demonstrate expertise in cervical and lumbar fusion, cervical laminectomy and lumbar laminectomy/discectomy procedures, resulting in fewer patient complications and readmissions compared to other hospitals. All designated facilities must maintain national accreditation.

BWFH is proud to be recognized for meeting the robust selection criteria for spine surgery set by the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program.

“At BWFH, we provide personalized, comprehensive care for patients with spinal disorders. The Blue Distinction Center designation truly speaks to the expertise of our surgeons, nurses and other health care professionals at Brigham and Women’s Comprehensive Spine Center at BWFH,”says Michael Groff, MD, Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs for the Department of Neurosurgery and Director of the Neurosurgical Spine Service.

The Blue Distinction Specialty Care program has helped patients find quality care in the areas of bariatric surgery, cancer care, cardiac care, cellular immunotherapy, fertility care, gene therapy, knee and hip replacements, maternity care, spine surgery, substance use treatment and recovery and transplants. Research for many of these programs shows that, compared to other providers, those designated as Blue Distinction Centers demonstrate high-quality and improved outcomes for patients.

For more information about the program and for a complete listing of designated facilities, click here.