NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., April 4, 2016 --- Hoag was recently designated as a Blue Distinction® Center+ in the Blue Distinction Centers for Cardiac Care program by Anthem Blue Cross. Blue Distinction Centers are nationally designated healthcare facilities shown to deliver improved patient safety and better health outcomes, based on objective measures that were developed with input from the medical community.

“Hoag is honored to be recognized by Anthem Blue Cross as a Blue Distinction Center+ for our quality and cost-efficiency in cardiac care,” said Tom Lonergan, executive operations director of Hoag’s Jeffrey M. Carlton Heart & Vascular Institute. “Hoag continues to offer the most advanced cardiac care available, and on behalf of our exceptional physicians, nurses, staff and management, we are very proud that our services have been nationally recognized.”

To receive a Blue Distinction Center+ for Cardiac Care designation, a hospital must demonstrate its expertise in delivering safe and effective cardiac care, focusing on cardiac valve surgery, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) and percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) episodes of care. A hospital must also have earned national accreditation at the facility level. In addition to meeting established quality thresholds, these hospitals must also demonstrate better cost-efficiency compared to their peers.

Quality is key: only those facilities that first meet nationally established quality measures for Blue Distinction Centers were considered for designation as a Blue Distinction Center+.

Along with this prestigious recognition, Jeffrey M. Carlton Heart & Vascular Institute (JMCHVI) at Hoag has earned the reputation as a leader in advanced heart and vascular care on the West Coast. JMCHVI was recently named one of the 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals in the nation by Truven Health Analytics™, named by Women’s Choice Award® as one of America’s Best Hospitals for Heart Care for three consecutive years (2014-2016), and has been ranked in the highest category for quality and successful outcomes by the Society for Thoracic Surgeons. In addition, both the Newport Beach and Irvine campuses are designated Cardiovascular Receiving Centers (CVRC) by the Orange County Emergency Medical Services.

ABOUT HOAG MEMORIAL HOSPITAL PRESBYTERIAN

Hoag is an approximately $1 billion nonprofit, regional health care delivery network in Orange County, California, that treats more than 25,000 inpatients and 369,000 outpatients annually. Hoag consists of two acute-care hospitals – Hoag Hospital Newport Beach, which opened in 1952, and Hoag Hospital Irvine, which opened in 2010 – in addition to six health centers and nine urgent care centers. Hoag is a designated Magnet^® hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Hoag offers a comprehensive blend of health care services that includes five institutes providing specialized services in the following areas: cancer, heart and vascular, neurosciences, women’s health, and orthopedics through Hoag’s affiliate, Hoag Orthopedic Institute, which consists of an orthopedic hospital and two ambulatory surgical centers. In 2013, Hoag entered into an alliance with St. Joseph Health to further expand health care services in the Orange County community, known as St. Joseph Hoag Health. Hoag has been named one of the Best Regional Hospitals in the U.S. News & World Report Metro Edition, andBecker’s Hospital Review named Hoag as one of the 2015 “100 Great Hospitals in America” – a designation Hoag has received three times. National Research Corporation has endorsed Hoag as Orange County’s most preferred hospital for the past 20 consecutive years and, for an unprecedented 20 years, residents of Orange County have chosen Hoag as one of the county’s best hospitals in a local newspaper survey. Visit www.hoag.org for more information.

ABOUT BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD ASSOCIATION
Blue Cross Blue Shield Association is a national federation of 36 independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide healthcare coverage for nearly 105 million members – one in three Americans. For more information on the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and its member companies, please visit www.BCBS.com. We encourage you to connect with us on Facebook, check out our videos on YouTube, follow us on Twitter and check out The BCBS Blog for up-to-date information about BCBSA.

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 facilities 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 healthcare. Each facility’s cost of care is evaluated using data from its Local Blue Plan. Facilities 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.

###

To download the official press release, please click here.