Excellus BlueCross BlueShield is congratulating three hospitals in the Mohawk Valley for being recognized by the Blue Distinction Centers for Specialty Care® program in the areas of knee and hip replacement.

Bassett Medical Center, Faxton-St. Luke's Healthcare and St. Elizabeth Medical Center are being recognized for their knee and hip replacement programs. Since 2006, consumers, medical providers and employers have relied on the Blue Distinction program to identify hospitals delivering quality care in bariatric surgery, cardiac care, complex and rare cancers, knee and hip replacements, spine surgery, and transplants.

The Blue Distinction Centers for Specialty Care® program expanded recently to include new cost-efficiency measures, as well as more robust quality measures focused on improved patient health and safety.

"Local hospitals continue to prove that you can offer high quality care at an affordable price," said Frank Dubeck, M.D., vice president and chief medical officer for Medical Policy, Excellus BCBS. "The Blue Distinction recognition continues our collaborations with local providers, as we jointly tackle issues such as improving quality of care and reducing readmissions and hospital-acquired infections."

The three hospitals are being recognized as Blue Distinction Centers+ for their expertise in quality and cost efficiency in delivering specialty care. Quality is key: only those facilities that first meet Blue Distinction's nationally established, objective quality measures will be considered for designation as Blue Distinction Centers+.