News at UI Health

UI Health has again been recognized as a Blue Distinction Center for Maternity Care by Blue Cross Blue Shield.

The Blue Distinction Specialty Care Program is a national designation program recognizing healthcare providers that demonstrate expertise in delivering quality specialty care — safely, effectively, and cost efficiently. Blue Distinction Centers for Maternity Care demonstrate expertise and a commitment to quality care for vaginal and cesarean section deliveries. These centers demonstrate better overall patient satisfaction and a lower percentage of early elective deliveries. 

The recognition showcases the full spectrum of care provided by the Departments of Family & Community Medicine and Obstetrics & Gynecology throughout pregnancy and through delivery.

Facilities were evaluated on quality metrics that included: 

• Input from the medical community and quality measurement experts 
• Review of medical literature, together with national quality and safety initiatives 
• A thorough analysis of meaningful quality measures. 

The Quality Selection Criteria includes general facility structure metrics and patient outcome metrics that are specific to maternity care. 

Nearly 4 million babies are born in the U.S. every year, making childbirth the most common reason for hospitalization. Compared with babies born at 39 weeks or later, early-term infants face higher risks of infant death and respiratory ailments, such as respiratory distress syndrome, pneumonia, and respiratory failure. Early-term babies also have a higher rate of admission to neonatal intensive care units.

The BDC designation evaluates hospitals on several quality measures, including the percentage of newborns that fall into the category of early elective delivery, an ongoing concern in the medical community. 

UI Health has been recognized by the Blue Distinction Program for Maternity Care annually since the award's introduction in 2016, and it also has been recognized for Fertility Care.