Capital BlueCross New Hospital Recognition Program Improves Quality of Care for Customers

HARRISBURG, Pa., Jan. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Capital BlueCross today announced an agreement with The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit organization focused on health care quality and safety, that will establish a regional hospital recognition program to help employers and consumers in central Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley make more informed health care decisions.

Capital BlueCross is the first health insurer in Pennsylvania, and the second health insurer nationwide, to partner with The Leapfrog Group on this type of health care quality recognition program. The company will work with the organization to evaluate hospital performance and provide consumer-friendly results.

"Our number-one priority is to ensure our customers have access to the highest quality care possible," said Dr. Jennifer Chambers, Capital BlueCross senior vice president and chief medical officer. "Working with The Leapfrog Group will enable us to better measure hospital quality, reward high-performing hospitals, and help customers make informed decisions for themselves and their families. This partnership is another way Capital BlueCross is doing more for our customers so they can live healthy."

Tom Croyle, president of the Lehigh Valley Business Coalition on Healthcare, said, "The LVBCH is a Leapfrog Group member and a Regional Rollout Partner of Leapfrog's Annual Hospital Survey of Hospital Quality in Pennsylvania. We are certainly pleased to see Capital BlueCross align with employers to adopt measures to improve quality, transparency and patient safety in the region. The efforts to reward health care providers based on quality and outcomes certainly will enhance the value that Capital BlueCross and those providers bring to our communities."

Through the Leapfrog Hospital Survey, participating hospitals respond to a detailed assessment focusing on three key areas: how patients fare; resources used in caring for patients; and leadership and structures that promote patient safety.

Survey questions fall into nine categories:

• Basic hospital information
• Computerized physician order entry
• Evidence-based hospital referral
• Maternity care
• ICU physician staffing
• National Quality Forum Safe Practices Score
• Managing serious errors
• Bar code medication administration
• Resource Use

The Leapfrog Hospital Survey is the only nationally standardized and endorsed set of measures that captures hospital performance in patient safety, quality and resource utilization.

"Thanks in large part to the efforts of the Lehigh Valley Business Coalition on Healthcare, many hospitals in the Lehigh Valley region have been participating in the annual Leapfrog Hospital Survey for many years, demonstrating their commitment to transparency as well as improvement in their quality and safety practices," said Leah Binder, president & CEO of The Leapfrog Group. "We are very pleased to see one of Pennsylvania's most prominent health insurers, Capital BlueCross, acknowledge these hospitals through the quality recognition program. In doing so, they are promoting excellence in care for patients across central Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley."

Hospitals are incentivized by Capital BlueCross to participate in the annual survey through financial rewards dependent upon quality and resource utilization performance, and improvement over the previous year's survey performance. Hospitals also benefit from being compared to their competitors and other provider facilities throughout the country.

Participating hospitals must complete the survey between April 1 and Dec. 31 of each year. Survey results are made available to the public starting in July of each year at http://www.leapfroggroup.org/cp.

About Capital BlueCross
Capital BlueCross, headquartered in Harrisburg, Pa., is the leading health solutions and insurance company in central Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley. A partner in the community's health for more than 75 years, Capital BlueCross offers insurance products, services and technology solutions that provide peace of mind to consumers and promote health and wellness for our members.

More than an insurer, the company delivers innovative solutions through a family of diversified businesses that are creating a healthier future and lowering health care costs. Among those solutions are patient-focused care models, private exchanges, leading-edge analytics, and digital health technologies. Additionally, Capital BlueCross is growing a network of Capital Blue stores that provide in-person service and inspiration to help people reach their health goals. Capital BlueCross is an independent licensee of the BlueCross BlueShield Association. For more information, visit capbluecross.com.

SOURCE Capital BlueCross

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