Quality and Affordability of Care
Blue Distinction Centers for Specialty Care®
The Blue Distinction Centers for Specialty Care is a designation awarded to medical and surgical facilities nationwide that meet a set of expectations associated with the delivery of quality health care. Blue Distinction's goal is to help consumers find quality specialty care on a consistent basis, while improving affordability to employers.
To date, Blue Cross and Blue Shield has designated hundreds of Blue Distinction Centers across the country in the areas of:
- Bariatric Surgery—hospitals that provide weight loss surgery
- Cardiac Care—hospitals that can treat certain heart problems with both surgery and catheter procedures
- Transplants—hospitals that perform organ transplants, and must be designated for each transplant type
- Complex and Rare Cancers*—hospitals that provide comprehensive, multi-specialty, in-hospital surgical treatment for certain cancers that are rare and difficult to treat; facilities must specific meet volume requirements for certain cancers to qualify.
We are committed to delivering on our promise of high quality, more affordable health care by working to eliminate the overuse, underuse, and misuse of health care services. Blue Distinction is no exception. Based on clinical data from hospitals and registries, research indicates that Blue Distinction Centers demonstrate better, more consistent overall outcome with fewer post-procedure complications and lower mortality rates.
For more information about Blue Distinction or the Blue Distinction Centers for Specialty Care, please view this fact sheet and visit www.bcbs.com/bluedistinction.
Note: Designation as Blue Distinction Centers means these facilities' overall experience and aggregate data met objective criteria established in collaboration with expert clinicians' and leading professional organizations' recommendations. Individual outcomes may vary. To find out which services are covered under your policy at any facilities, please call Member Service at the phone number on your ID card; and call your provider before making an appointment, to verify the most current information on their Network participation status. Neither Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association nor any of its Licensees are responsible for any damages, losses, or non-covered charges that may result from using this website or receiving care from a provider listed on this website.
*Cancer care is complicated, and is usually provided by teams of doctors, nurses, and other professionals in your local community and at larger cancer centers. Blue Distinction Centers for Complex and Rare Cancers provide very specialized treatments as part of an overall team approach for a very specific group of unusual cancers; many cancer patients can be cared for in their own local communities. Members should consult with their physicians and specialists before making a plan for getting cancer care.
