June 14, 2011, Meadowbrook, PA—Holy Redeemer Hospital has been named a Blue Distinction Center for Hip and Knee Replacement^® by Independence Blue Cross for demonstrating better overall quality of care and patient results in this joint replacement. Holy Redeemer has been listed in US News & World Report’s 2011 Best Hospitals for Orthopedics, as well.  
Blue Distinction^® is a national designation awarded by Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies to medical facilities that have demonstrated expertise in delivering quality healthcare in specific clinical areas, including knee and hip replacement.
Holy Redeemer is one of 12 hospitals in Eastern Pennsylvania to have received the Blue Distinction honor.

Holy Redeemer earned this recognition by undergoing an objective, evidence-based selection criteria established with input from expert physicians and medical organizations. The goal of Blue Distinction is to identify medical facilities that deliver better overall quality and medical outcomes for a specific area of specialty care, helping patients and doctors to make more informed hospital choices. Last year, Holy Redeemer performed 116 hip replacements and 339 knee replacements.

“This designation is a tribute to the dedicated team of physicians, nurses, technicians,  therapists, and all staff who helped develop Holy Redeemer’s comprehensive programs in orthopaedics, said Shelly Urofsky, Executive Vice President/Chief Administrative Officer, Holy Redeemer Hospital. “Their clinical expertise in this specialty area, along with the compassionate care we provide at Holy Redeemer, has resulted in better overall results for our patients.”

About Holy Redeemer

With an emphasis on providing a continuum of care, Holy Redeemer Health System remains true to the mission to care, comfort and heal that its sponsor, the Sisters of the Holy Redeemer, began in our region in 1924 – to provide high quality, compassionate care. Today, Holy Redeemer offers a wide range of healthcare and health-related services, including an acute care hospital, home health and hospice services, two skilled nursing facilities, assisted living, a retirement community, low-income housing, an active living community, and a transitional housing program for homeless women and children. With corporate offices in Huntingdon Valley, PA, Holy Redeemer Health System is a Catholic healthcare provider, serving southeastern Pennsylvania and 12 counties in New Jersey, from Union County south to Cape May County.

About Blue Distinction

Blue Distinction selection criteria cover a broad range of quality measures and are publicly available on www.bcbs.com/bluedistinction. By earning the designation, Holy Redeemer has demonstrated:

• An established program, performing required annual volumes for certain procedures
• Appropriate experience of its care team
• Full facility accreditation by a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)-deemed national accreditation organization
• Adherence to evidence-based clinical care measures and guidelines
• A comprehensive quality management program

To learn more about the Blue Distinction designation, visit www.bcbs.com/bluedistinction.

Note:  Designation as Blue Distinction Centers means these facilities' overall experience and aggregate data met objective criteria established in collaboration with expert clinicians' and leading professional organizations' recommendations.  Individual outcomes may vary.  To find out which services are covered under your policy at any facilities, please call your local Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield Plan; and call your provider before making an appointment, to verify the most current information on its Network participation and Blue Distinction status.  Neither Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association nor any of its Licensees are responsible for any damages, losses, or non-covered charges that may result from using this resource or receiving care from a Blue Distinction provider.