Blue Distinction Center for Spine Surgery

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois designated OSF St. Joseph Medical Center a Blue Distinction Center for Spine Surgery in February 2010. The Blue Distinction designation is awarded to medical facilities that have demonstrated expertise in delivering quality health care in the area of spine surgery.

OSF St. Joseph Medical Center offers comprehensive spine surgery services, board certified physicians, and evidence-based evaluation protocols that are overseen by a team of spine surgery professionals.

"Blue Distinction puts a high value on research and evidence-based health and medical information," said Allan Korn, MD, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association Chief Medical Officer. "Blue Distinction Centers show our commitment to working with doctors and hospitals in communities across the country to identify leading institutions that meet clinically validated quality standards and deliver better overall outcomes in patient care."

Selection Criteria

The selection criteria used to evaluate facilities was developed with input from a panel of expert physicians. To be designated as a Blue Distinction Center for Spine Surgery the following types of criteria were evaluated.

Established acute care inpatient facility, including intensive care, emergency care, and a full range of patient support services with full accreditation by a CMS-deemed national accreditation organization

• Experience and training of program surgeons, including case volume


• Quality management programs, including surgical checklists as well as tracking and evaluation of clinical outcomes and process of care


• Multi-disciplinary clinical pathways and teams to coordinate and streamline care, including transitions of care


• Shared decision making and preoperative patient education

More information on selection criteria is available at www.bcbs.com.

Blue Distinction Centers for Spine Surgery are part of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association's expansion of its Blue Distinction® designation. The program is part of The Blues® efforts to collaborate with physicians and medical facilities to improve the overall quality and safety of specialty care. Other medical service areas that can qualify as Blue Distinction Centers include: bariatric surgery, cardiac care, complex and rare cancers, knee and hip replacement and transplants.