Day Kimball Hospital Earns National Recognition for Distinction in Knee and Hip Replacements

Putnam Mayor Robert Viens presents Day Kimball Hospital with a Certificate of Recognition from the Town of Putnam. (L-R) Carol Howland, Vice President of Patient Services; John Miller, Chairman of the Board; Putnam Mayor Robert Viens; Dr. Kevin Reagan, The Center for Bone & Joint Care; Dr. Scott Green; The Center for Bone & Joint Care and Chairman Department of Surgery; and Sharon Sawyer, Director of Quality and Risk Management. Photo: Portraits by Nan

PUTNAM, CONNECTICUT — Day Kimball Hospital has been named a Blue Distinction Center for Knee and Hip Replacement® from Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield for demonstrating outstanding quality of care and patient results in knee and hip replacement surgeries.

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 the areas of bariatric surgery, cardiac care, complex and rare cancers, knee and hip replacement, spine surgery or transplants.

To earn this designation, Day Kimball Hospital was evaluated based on an objective, evidence-based selection criteria established with input from expert physicians and medical organizations. The goal of Blue Distinction is to recognize medical facilities that provide exceptional quality healthcare services while meeting the best industry standards for quality and performance for a specific area of specialty care.

“This designation is a tribute to the dedicated teams at Day Kimball Hospital and The Center for Bone & Joint Care, who helped develop our comprehensive program in knee and hip replacements,” said Robert E. Smanik, Day Kimball Healthcare president and CEO. “It further recognizes the high standards of care provided by our surgeons, nurses, physical therapists, pharmacists and many other healthcare professionals who support excellence in orthopedic care at Day Kimball. Their clinical expertise in this specialty care area has resulted in better overall results for our patients.”

Day Kimball Hospital performs nearly 180 knee and hip replacement surgeries each year and is one of only eight Connecticut hospitals – and the only facility in Eastern Connecticut – recognized as a Blue Distinction Center in Knee and Hip Replacements. During the course of a patient’s hospital stay and rehabilitation, more than two dozen healthcare providers offer direct care to each patient.

“Achieving this distinction is the result of a collaborative effort by the nursing and medical staffs as well as support staff from all over the hospital,” said Kevin J. Reagan, MD, orthopedic surgeon and physician liaison to the Joint Academy Committee, a group of Northeast Connecticut healthcare providers who meet regularly to improve processes for knee and hip replacement patients. “The patient’s journey begins with pre-surgery education and ends with the post-op, high quality care at our area skilled nursing facilities; everyone involved deserves the credit for this recognition.”

“Our Blue Distinction program recognizes hospitals that demonstrate higher levels of performance in providing better specialty care for patients," said Eina G. Fishman, MD, MS, CPE, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield medical director. “Improving quality of care is integral to transforming the healthcare system. Facilities like Day Kimball Hospital helping Northeast Connecticut achieve this by offering patients safe specialty care delivered by medical teams with expertise.”

Blue Distinction selection criteria cover a broad range of quality measures and are publicly available on www.bcbs.com/bluedistinction. By earning the designation, Day Kimball Hospital 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 (The Joint Commission for Day Kimball Hospital)

· Adherence to evidence-based clinical care measures and guidelines

· A comprehensive quality management program

“We are proud of our excellent patient outcomes and proud to be among the best hospitals in Connecticut offering these surgeries,” said Douglas C. Waite, MD, Day Kimball Healthcare vice president for medical affairs and quality, ” Day Kimball Hospital is honored by this recognition and pledges to continue to work hard to provide best-of-class care to our patients.”

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

About Day Kimball Hospital:
Day Kimball Hospital is part of Day Kimball Healthcare, a non-profit, integrated medical services provider comprised of four healthcare centers in Danielson, Dayville, Plainfield and Thompson, Day Kimball HomeCare, Hospice & Palliative Care of Northeastern CT, Day Kimball HomeMakers, Physician Services of Northeast CT and Day Kimball Physician Practices. Its service area includes Northeast Connecticut as well as nearby Massachusetts and Rhode Island communities. Day Kimball Healthcare’s comprehensive network offers more than 1,200 employees including nearly 300 highly-skilled physicians, surgeons and specialists. Its website is www.daykimball.org. Also follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/daykimball.

About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Connecticut:
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the trade name of Anthem Health Plans, Inc., an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. ® ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Additional information about Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Connecticut is available at www.anthem.com. Also, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/healthjoinin, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HealthJoinIn, or visit our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/healthjoinin.

 

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.