Three of a Kind: Baptist Health Medical Center recognized
for three Blue Distinction Centers of Excellence

When a hospital is recognized as a Blue Distinction® Center of Excellence for a specific medical specialty, it is worth noting. When a hospital gains three such distinctions, like Baptist Health Medical Center in Little Rock, it is worth stopping and taking a closer look.

Baptist Health has been a Blue Distinction Center for Cardiac Care for more than a year, but it also is now a Blue Distinction Center for spine surgery and for hip and knee replacement. Just what is going on at Baptist Health Medical Center to promote such excellent care?

"I think our success here at Baptist Health is due to a combination of things," said Doug Weeks, senior vice-president and administrator of Baptist Health Medical Center in Little Rock. "Our excellent doctors and our compassionate caregivers combined with the latest technology and surgical approaches have helped us remain as Arkansas’ most preferred health-care provider."

What is a Blue Distinction Center?

Blue Distinction Centers of Excellence must meet high quality standards established by an expert panel of physicians, surgeons and other health-care professionals. When a hospital has been designated a Blue Distinction Center, you know they have expertise in that specialty, that they focus on quality and that they have a history of patients with positive outcomes. Hospitals provide care differently, and the Blue Cross system has created a process where hospitals can demonstrate their expertise.

Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield recognized Baptist Health’s cardiac care program in its spring 2009 issue of Blue & You. Let’s take a look at the newly recognized areas of hip and knee replacement and spine surgery.

Hip/Knee Replacement

Rocky Hodges knows a thing or two about surgery. Not only is he a registered nurse, he’s been the director of peri-operative services at Baptist Health Medical Center in Little Rock for 11 years, overseeing everything from pre-op to recovery. So when it was his turn to be a patient, he wanted everything to go perfectly. He could have chosen any hospital, but knowing the quality of care he saw day to day, "I wouldn't have had this done anywhere else."

In February 2009, Rocky, 56, started to have trouble with his right hip, a real problem for someone in such a fast-paced work environment. By June, he was in constant pain and it was obvious he needed medical intervention. Through OrthoArkansas, Rocky was diagnosed with a cartilage tear and arthritis in the hip joint. More conservative types of treatment were tried and exhausted, but by December Rocky was still limping and an X-ray proved what he already suspected — he needed a total joint replacement.