Harrison Medical Center has earned designation as a Blue Distinction Center for Knee and Hip Replacement® by Regence BlueShield in Washington. This means that Harrison has met objective, evidence-based thresholds for clinical quality after a rigorous evaluation process.

Only 13 hospitals in Washington state have earned this designation for quality care. Harrison is the only Blue Distinction Center for Knee and Hip Replacement® serving the Kitsap, Olympic, and Key peninsulas, as well as Mason County.

According to the BlueCross BlueShield Association, the selection criteria (clinically meaningful measures) used in designating Blue Distinction Centers for Knee and Hip Replacement® were developed in collaboration with expert physicians and medical organizations. Medical facilities voluntarily submit clinical data to establish they meet selection criteria, which include:

• an established knee and hip replacement program, performing required annual volumes for certain procedures (e.g., at least 100 total hip and total knee joint replacement surgeries [primary and revision] per year, with a minimum of 25 each total hip and total knee replacements);
• an experienced knee and hip replacement surgery team, including surgeons with board certification, subspecialty fellowship training, and required case volumes for knee and hip replacement procedures;
• an established acute care inpatient facility, including intensive care, emergency care and a full range of patient support services;
• full accreditation by a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)-deemed national accreditation organization;
• a comprehensive quality management program;
• pre-operative patient education;
• processes that support transitions of care;
• clinical outcomes that meet objective thresholds, such as complication rates and length of stay, for specific procedures.

A list of the specific selection criteria for the Blue Distinction Centers for Knee and Hip Replacement® is readily available to the public. For more information about this important designation, visit www.bcbs.com/bluedistinction.

Learn more about The Orthopaedic Alliance on the Peninsula at www.theorthoalliance.com.