Mayfield Spine Surgery Center Earns Anthem's Blue Distinction® Center+ Designation for Quality and Cost-Efficiency in Spine Surgery

CINCINNATI – Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Ohio has selected the Mayfield Spine Surgery Center as a Blue Distinction Center+ for Spine Surgery, as part of the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program. Blue Distinction Centers® are nationally designated healthcare 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.

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 facilities.

"The Mayfield Spine Surgery Center is proud to have earned recognition as a Blue Distinction Center+ from Anthem. It emphasizes our commitment to patients through excellence. Mayfield Brain & Spine neurosurgeons provide outstanding care, skill and innovation - and it all happens here," says Dave Orskey, Mayfield Spine Surgery Center administrator.

Steven Bailey, MD, neurosurgeon and medical director of the Mayfield Spine Surgery Center, explains, "Delivering the highest quality care and outcomes while doing so in a cost-efficient manner is what our patients and community need. These goals have been our focus since the surgery center opened in 2007, and I am pleased our hard work has been recognized in this manner."

Spinal surgeries are among the most common and expensive elective surgeries in the U.S., according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), an agency under the US Department of Health and Human Services, which creates a significant opportunity to improve quality and value within the healthcare system. For example, there were more than 463,000 spinal fusion operations in the U.S. in 2014, and hospital costs for a fusion procedure average $28,900, according to AHRQ.

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 facilities. Designated facilities include hospitals (with and without an onsite intensive care unit) and ambulatory surgery centers. All designated facilities must maintain national accreditation. In addition to meeting these quality thresholds, facilities designated as Blue Distinction Centers+ are on average 20 percent more cost-efficient in an episode of care compared to other facilities.

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

"Mayfield Spine Surgery Center's designation as a Blue Distinction Center+ is a testament to their innovative approach to spine care," said Dr. Barry Malinowski, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Ohio medical director. "The Blue Distinction program is designed to recognize commitment to quality and to help consumers identify high performing health care providers. This is a well-deserved honor and I congratulate the entire Mayfield team."

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 better quality and improved outcomes for patients.

For more information about the program and for a complete listing of designated facilities, visit BCBS.com/bluedistinction.

About the Mayfield Spine Surgery Center

The Mayfield Spine Surgery Center is the region's premier center for minimally invasive and outpatient spine surgery. Developed by neurosurgeons of the Mayfield Clinic in 2007, the Mayfield Spine Surgery Center is a partnership between Mayfield Clinic and United Surgical Partners International, Inc. (USPI). It was one of the first free-standing outpatient spine surgery centers in the Midwest. Since its opening, almost 60,000 surgeries and procedures have been performed at the Center by the region's most experienced spine surgeons. For more information, visit MayfieldSurgeryCenter.com.

About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Ohio

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the trade name of Community Insurance Company, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Additional information about Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Ohio is available at www.anthem.com. Also, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/anthemBCBS and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AnthemBlueCrossBlueShield.

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 health care. 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 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.