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Portsmouth Regional Hospital Named Blue Distinction CenterSM for Bariatric Surgery by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in New Hampshire [8/6/07]

Quality Outcomes and Best Practices in Treating Patients with Obesity Lead to National Designation

Portsmouth Regional Hospital has been named a Blue Distinction CenterSM for bariatric surgery by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in New Hampshire for providing care that leads to quality outcomes for people undergoing weight loss surgery. 

“Portsmouth was selected after a comprehensive evaluation of the hospital’s clinical data and performance measures for bariatric surgery,” said Elizabeth Malko, MD, medical director, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in New Hampshire.  “To be designated as a Blue Distinction Center, hospitals must meet select criteria in multiple categories, such as the number of weight-loss surgeries performed each year, patient education, complication and re-admission rates, patient follow-up and patient satisfaction.”

Blue Distinction Centers for bariatric surgery are full-service, fully accredited facilities that meet nationally accepted criteria for experience and quality in weight loss surgery.  The criteria were developed in collaboration with medical experts and professional organizations.

“We’re very pleased to receive this distinction for our program because it reflects our dedication to provide bariatric surgery patients with a full-service, patient-focused experience,” said William Schuler, president and CEO of Portsmouth Regional Hospital.  “Our bariatric surgery team is a highly trained group of multi-disciplinary specialists who have worked diligently to develop a program featuring high quality standards and outcomes that match those of our other programs, such as the Heart and Lung Center.” 

“We are always working in partnership with all New Hampshire hospitals and physicians to help improve the quality of care delivered to our members,” said Lisa M. Guertin, president, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in New Hampshire.

The designation is part of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association’s nationwide Blue Distinction program, which is designed to create an unprecedented level of health care transparency for consumers and providers.  Blue Distinction strengthens consumer engagement and provider partnerships through new specialty centers that offer best practices and standards of care in bariatric surgery, cardiac care and transplant services.

“Blue Distinction puts a high value on research and evidenced-based health and medical information,” noted Dr. Malko.  “These 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 outcomes in patient care.”

Dr. Malko added that as not all benefit plans cover bariatric surgery, it’s important for individual members to check with their benefits administrator as to their coverage.

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in New Hampshire is an operating subsidiary of WellPoint, Inc. (NYSE: WLP). WellPoint’s mission is to improve the lives of the people it serves and the health of its communities. WellPoint, Inc. is the largest health benefits company in terms of commercial membership in the United States.  Through its nationwide networks, the company delivers a number of leading health benefit solutions through a broad portfolio of integrated health care plans and related services, along with a wide range of specialty products such as life and disability insurance benefits, pharmacy benefit management, dental, vision, behavioral health benefit services, as well as long term care insurance and flexible spending accounts.  Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, WellPoint is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and serves its members as the Blue Cross licensee for California; the Blue Cross and Blue Shield licensee for Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri (excluding 30 counties in the Kansas City area), Nevada, New Hampshire, New York (as Blue Cross Blue Shield in 10 New York City metropolitan and surrounding counties and as Blue Cross or Blue Cross Blue Shield in selected upstate counties only), Ohio, Virginia (excluding the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.), Wisconsin; and through UniCare. Additional information about WellPoint is available at www.wellpoint.com.

For more information about Blue Distinction Centers, please visit www.bcbs.com/bluedistinction.