MacNeal Hospital Recognized for Excellence in Maternity Care By Blue Cross Blue Shield

MAYWOOD, IL – MacNeal Hospital is proud to be recognized by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois with a Blue Distinction^® Centers+ (BDC+) for Maternity Care designation, as part of the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program. To earn this designation, each facility must deliver quality care, safely and cost-effectively.

The Blue Distinction Centers for Maternity Care program plays a key role in the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association’s (BCBSA) National Health Equity Strategy aimed at reducing racial health disparities across the care spectrum and improving patient outcomes for all Americans. To align with this strategy, the Blue Distinction Centers for Maternity Care program enhanced its quality and measurement standards to recognize higher-quality facilities that have taken action to respond effectively to obstetric emergencies, reduce racial disparities, and improve maternal health outcomes.

Based on data from the current designation cycle, facilities designated under the Blue Distinction Centers for Maternity Care program demonstrate higher-quality care compared to non-Blue Distinction Center facilities, with overall average rates of 26% lower episiotomies, 60% fewer elective deliveries and 17% lower cesarean births—all of which point to healthier outcomes for patients. BDC+ designated facilities also exhibited an average savings of 21% for maternity care.

"We are proud to partner with Blue Cross and Blue Shield to continue to advance health equity in our community." Shawn Vincent, President and CEO of Loyola Medicine said. "MacNeal Hospital has a long tradition of providing compassionate maternity care to families and we are grateful for this recognition of their commitment to excellence."

The Blue Distinction Centers for Maternity Care program’s selection criteria was devised to close clinical care gaps and reduce inequities that persist throughout the maternal care spectrum. The selection criteria includes components of BCBSA’s Maternal Health Equity Actions, which dismantle the cultural, operational and structural barriers that have created inequities that persist in maternal care.

To be designated under this program, each applicant facility was evaluated on a combination of objective data on patient outcomes as well as the practices implemented to reduce racial disparities and improve maternal health outcomes, such as:

• Using evidence-based best practices to respond effectively to obstetric emergencies
• Offering unconscious bias training
• Participating in the regional Perinatal Quality Collaborative
• Having doula support available on the maternity care team
• Collecting race, ethnicity and language data
• Having a program dedicated to quality improvements in maternal care
• Running drills and simulations to prepare providers are prepared to deal with a range of obstetric emergencies
• Demonstrating health outcomes that exceed the selection criteria from our program’s previous evaluation cycle

MacNeal Hospital is proud to be recognized by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois for meeting the rigorous quality selection criteria for maternity care set by the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program.

Derek Robinson, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, commented: “We are pleased to recognize MacNeal Hospital for their attention to delivering high quality care that addresses maternal health. Their Blue Distinction Specialty Care approach will help lead to healthier outcomes for members.”

Since 2006, the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program has helped patients find quality specialty care at lower costs in the areas of bariatric surgery, cancer care, cardiac care, cellular immunotherapy, fertility care, gene therapy, knee and hip replacement, maternity care, spine surgery, substance use treatment and recovery, and transplants, while encouraging health care professionals to improve the care they deliver.

For more information about the program and for a complete listing of the designated providers, visit the Blue Cross Blue Shield website by clicking here.