Media Contacts:
Renee Hunt, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, rhunt@azblue.comor 602-920-9487 (mobile)
Angela Menninger, for IASIS Healthcare, amenninger@dualitypr.com or 602-373-8212 (mobile)
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Recognizes Bridges Center for
Surgical Weight Management for Quality of Care and Cost Efficiency in Bariatric Surgery
Medical Facility Among First to Receive New Designation
PHOENIX – May 5, 2015 –Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona today named Bridges Center for Surgical
Weight Management at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Phoenix a part of its Blue Distinction® Centers for
Specialty Care program. This healthcare facility has been designated as a Blue Distinction® Center+ for
delivering quality care resulting in better overall outcomes for bariatric patients, while also meeting key
requirements for cost efficiency.
To receive a Blue Distinction Center+ for Bariatric Surgery designation, a new designation added to the
program this year, a healthcare facility must demonstrate success in meeting patient safety as well as
bariatric-specific quality measures, including complications and readmissions, for gastric stapling and/or
gastric banding procedures.
A healthcare facility must also have earned national accreditations at both the facility level and the
bariatric care-specific level, as well as demonstrate better cost efficiency relative to its peers. Quality is
key: only those facilities that first meet Blue Distinction’s nationally-established, objective quality measures
will be considered for designation as a Blue Distinction Center+.
“The Blue Distinction Specialty Care recognition program was developed to identify healthcare facilities
with proven expertise in delivering specialty care,” said Dr. Vishu Jhaveri, Blue Cross Blue Shield of
Arizona chief medical officer. “The Bridges Center for Surgical Weight Loss Management team at St.
Luke’s Medical Center has a commitment to quality and helping members better manage their care
through the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program.”
Bariatric surgeries are among the most common elective surgeries in the U.S., which provides a
significant opportunity to improve quality and efficiency within the healthcare system. There were 179,000
bariatric surgeries performed in 2013, according to the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric
Surgery, and the average cost is more than $28,000 per episode, according to the Journal of the
American Medical Association. Furthermore, it is estimated that 72 million Americans are obese and 24
million suffer from morbid obesity, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The
estimated annual healthcare costs of obesity-related illnesses are $190.2 billion, or nearly 21 percent of
annual medical spending in the U.S., according to the Journal of Health Economics.
Research shows that facilities designated as Blue Distinction Centers and Blue Distinction Centers+
demonstrate better quality and improved outcomes for patients compared with their peers. On average,
Blue Distinction Centers+ are also 20 percent or more cost efficient than non-Blue Distinction Center+
designated healthcarefacilities.
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Bridges Center for Surgical Weight Management
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“We’re honored to receive this noteworthy designation,” said Hilario Juarez, M.D., FACS, Co-Medical
Director of Bridges Center for Surgical Weight Management at St. Luke’s Medical Center. “Our team is
dedicated to making positive experiences for our patients by guiding and supporting them through every
step of their weight loss journeys.”
Since 2006, the Blue Distinction Centers for Specialty Care program has helped patients find quality
providers for their specialty care needs in the areas of bariatric surgery, cardiac care, complex and rare
cancers, knee and hip replacements, spine surgery, and transplants while encouraging healthcare
professionals to improve the care they deliver. For more information about the Blue Distinction Centers for
Specialty Care program and for a complete listing of the designated facilities, visit
www.bcbs.com/bluedistinction.
About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (BCBSAZ), an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Association, is the largest Arizona-based health insurance company. The not-for-profit company was
founded in 1939 and provides health insurance products, services or networks to 1.3 million individuals.
With offices in Phoenix, Flagstaff, Tucson and the East Valley, the company employs more than 1,300
Arizonans. Follow BCBSAZ at www.facebook.com/bcbsaz or on Twitter at @bcbsaz to get information on
health and wellness as well as a knowledgeable perspective on health insurance reform, and to become a
part of what we’re doing in your community.
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is a national federation of 37 independent, community-based
and locally-operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide healthcare coverage
for more than 100 million members – one-in-three Americans. For more information on the Blue Cross
and Blue Shield Association and its member companies, please visit 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.
Blue Distinction Centers® (BDC) met overall quality measures for patient safety and outcomes, developed
with input from the medical community. Blue Distinction Centers+SM (BDC+) also met cost measures that
address consumers’ need for affordable healthcare. Individual outcomes may vary. National criteria are
displayed on www.bcbs.com. A Local Blue Plan may require additional criteria for facilities located in its
own service area. For details on Local Blue Plan Criteria, a provider’s in-network status, or your own
policy’s coverage, contact your Local Blue Plan. Each hospital’s Cost Index is calculated with data from its
Local Blue Plan. Hospitals in CA, ID, NY, PA, and WA may lie in two Local Blue Plans’ areas, resulting in
two Cost Index figures; and their own Local Blue Plans decide whether one or both Cost Index figures
must meet BDC+ national criteria. Neither Blue Cross Blue Shield Association nor any Blue Plans are
responsible for damages or non-covered charges resulting from Blue Distinction or other provider finder
information or care received from Blue Distinction or other providers.
About St. Luke’s Medical Center
Serving Metropolitan Phoenix for more than 100 years, St. Luke’s Medical Center is a 200-bed tertiary
care hospital part of IASIS Healthcare offering a full range of medical services, including emergency care,
orthopedics, cardiac care, bariatrics, physical rehabilitation, pain management and wound care. St. Luke’s
has a long history of innovation as the first hospital in Arizona to open a cardiac catheterization lab, and
the first in the Valley to perform open heart surgery. With a focus on serving the diverse health care needs
of the community, experienced professionals provide high quality care with the latest technology, in a
caring environment. St. Luke’s Medical Center is an Official Healthcare Partner of the Phoenix Suns and
Phoenix Mercury. For more information, visit www.stlukesmedcenter.com or call 1-877-351-WELL (9355).
Find St. Luke’s Medical Center on Facebook and follow the hospital on Twitter.
About Bridges Center for Surgical Weight Management
Designated as a Center of Excellence (COE) for bariatric surgery since 2005, the Bridges Center for
Surgical Weight Management at St. Luke’s Medical Center provides a comprehensive program to help
individuals achieve healthy, long-term weight loss. The multidisciplinary weight management program
features preoperative education, weight loss surgery, nutritional guidance and postoperative support — all
designed to help individuals achieve and maintain their weight loss goals.The Bridges Center team at St.
Luke’s Medical Center consists of knowledgeable health care professionals — all dedicated to making
every experience a positive one by guiding and supporting individuals through every stage of their weight
loss journeys. In addition to a highly-experienced team of board-certified bariatric surgeons, staff includes
a psychologist, registered nurse, registered dietitian, licensed practical nurse, physical therapist, and a
team of patient advocates. For more information, visit www.stlukesmedcenter.com or call 1-800-248-5553.
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