BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina has announced select health care facilities in the state have received Blue Distinction^® Centers (BDC) or Blue Distinction Centers+ (BDC+) for cardiac care designations. BDCs are providers that have proved they can give high-quality care with safe practices. Safe practices lead to better health outcomes for patients.

In the U.S., one person dies every 34 seconds from heart disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention*. BDCs for cardiac care give patients the data they need to choose high-quality, in-network care. To be named a BDC for cardiac care, centers must show expert skill in safe and effective care for:

• Percutaneous coronary interventions.
• Coronary artery bypass graft.
• Aortic valve replacement.
• Mitral valve replacement and repair.

Centers are rated using data from health centers and third-party registries.

Providers with a BDC+ designation have proved they provide less costly care. We rate them using cost measures pulled from BlueCross’ medical claims. Only health care centers that meet the quality measures for BDCs are eligible to be named a BDC+.

The following health centers have been recognized:

BDC Designation

• Grand Strand Regional Medical Center
• Prisma Health Greenville Memorial Hospital
• Prisma Health Richland Hospital
• Piedmont Medical Center
• Self Regional Healthcare
• St. Francis Hospital
• Trident Medical Center

BDC+ Designation

• Roper Hospital

“It is important to our members to have safe, affordable options for their cardiac care,” said BlueCross Chief Medical Officer Nathan Henderson. “We will keep working with health care centers and providers in the state to improve the health of all South Carolinians.”

BDCs for cardiac care must show they offer high-quality care for patients. They also must have lower in-hospital death rates and lower bleeding complication rates for angioplasty. BDCs must meet national standards for fewer readmissions and fewer deaths.

BDC+ providers for cardiac care are 21 percent less costly than their peers.

Since 2006, the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program has helped patients find high-quality specialty care in:

• Bariatric surgery.
• Cancer care.
• Cardiac care.
• Cellular immunotherapy.
• Fertility care.
• Gene therapy.
• Knee and hip replacements.
• Maternity care.
• Spine surgery.
• Substance use treatment and recovery.
• Transplants.

Visit www.bcbs.com for more about the program and a full list of designated providers.

About BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina

Headquartered in Columbia and operating in South Carolina for more than 75 years, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. BlueCross is made up of more than 20 companies involved in health insurance services, U.S. Department of Defense health program and Medicare contracts, other insurance and employee benefits services, and a philanthropic foundation that funds programs to improve health care and access to health care for South Carolinians. 

About Blue Distinction Centers

Blue Distinction Centers (BDC) met overall quality measures, developed with input from the medical community. A local Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) company may require additional criteria for providers located in its own service area; for details, contact your local BCBS company. Blue Distinction Centers+ (BDC+) also met cost measures that address consumers’ need for affordable health care. Each provider’s cost of care is evaluated using data from its local BCBS company. Providers in CA, ID, NY, PA, and WA may lie in two local BCBS company’s areas, resulting in two evaluations for cost of care; and their own local BCBS companies decide whether one or both cost of care evaluation(s) must meet BDC+ national criteria. National criteria for BDC and BDC+ are displayed on www.bcbs.com. Individual outcomes may vary. For details on a provider’s in-network status or your own policy’s coverage, contact your local BCBS company and ask your provider before making an appointment. Neither Blue Cross Blue Shield Association nor any BCBS company are responsible for non-covered charges or other losses or damages resulting from Blue Distinction or other provider finder information or care received from Blue Distinction or other providers.

*This leads to a third-party website. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is responsible for the contents and privacy policy on its site.