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Wheeling Hospital earns maternity honor

From staff reports

WHEELING – In an effort to help prospective parents find hospitals that deliver quality maternity care, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield West Virginia announced Wheeling Hospital has been designated as one of the first hospitals to receive the Blue Distinction Center for Maternity Care designation, a new designation under the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program.

“Our obstetricians, labor and delivery staff and our quality assurance team are very committed to the health and well-being of newborns. They also demonstrate that same commitment to providing educational programs to parents that benefit babies once they leave the hospital. The Blue Distinction recognition illustrates the dedication to newborns and their parents. We’re proud of our team,” said Ron Violi, Wheeling Hospital chief executive officer.

Nearly 4 million babies are born in the U.S. annually, making childbirth the most common cause of hospitalization. The new Blue Distinction Centers for Maternity Care program evaluates hospitals on several quality measures, including the percentage of newborns that fall into the category of early elective delivery, an ongoing concern in the medical community.

Compared with babies born 39 weeks or later, early term infants face higher risks of infant death and respiratory ailments such as respiratory distress syndrome, pneumonia and respiratory failure, among other conditions. These babies also have a higher rate of admission to Neonatal Intensive Care Units.

In addition, hospitals that receive a Blue Distinction Center for Maternity Care designation agreed to meet requirements that align with principles supporting evidence-based practices of care, as well as having initiated programs. Such include those that promote successful breastfeeding, as described in the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative by Baby-Friendly USA, or the Mother-Friendly Hospital program by the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services through its “Ten Steps of Mother-Friendly Care.”

The program also evaluates hospitals on overall patient satisfaction, including a willingness to recommend the hospital to others.

Blue Distinction Centers for Maternity Care, an expansion of the national Blue Distinction Specialty Care program, are hospitals recognized for delivering quality specialty care safely and effectively, based on objective measures developed with input from the medical community.

“Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield West Virginia extends its sincere congratulations to Wheeling Hospital for its dedication to quality, patient safety and transparency that is required to achieve this great distinction. With consumer driven health care programs like Blue Distinction, and the significant effort of our partner practitioners and facilities, Highmark can now enable our members the opportunity to make wise, value-driven health care decisions,” said Dr. Mark Piasio, medical director, clinical services, Highmark Inc.

BCBS companies across the nation have recognized more than 280 hospitals as Blue Distinction Centers for Maternity Care. Hospitals recognized for these designations were assessed using a combination of publicly available quality information and cost measures derived from BCBS companies’ medical claims.

For information about the program, visit www.bcbs.com/bluedistinction.

Wheeling Hospital delivers approximately 1,200 babies per year, more than any other hospital in the region, according to officials.

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