Edward, Elmhurst Memorial recognized for quality in cardiac care

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois has recognized Edward Hospital and Elmhurst Memorial Hospital as among the first hospitals in the nation to receive a Blue Distinction Center+ Cardiac Care designation as part of the Blue Distinction Centers for Specialty Care program.

Edward Hospital & Health Services and Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare recently merged to create one of the larger integrated health systems in Illinois.

“We are proud to be recognized by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois for meeting the rigorous cardiac care selection criteria set by the Blue Distinction Centers for Specialty Care program,” said Pamela Dunley, Chief Operating Officer/Chief Nursing Officer, Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare.  “Although our door-to-balloon times are far better than the national average and our patient safety and quality scores are outstanding, our award winning cardiology services will continue to find new ways to improve in order to provide only the highest level of quality care to all our patients.”

“The Blue Distinction Center+ Cardiac Care designation is another confirmation of the high quality of care provided by Edward Hospital,” said Patti Ludwig-Beymer, Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer, Edward Hospital.  “We’re proud to be a leader in providing patients with a full range of cardiovascular services, including heart disease screening and diagnosis, state-of-the-art treatment, clinical trials, cardiac rehabilitation and support groups.”

To receive a Blue Distinction Center+ for Cardiac Care designation, a hospital must demonstrate success in meeting general quality and safety criteria (such as preventing hospital-acquired infections) and cardiac-specific quality measures (related to lower rates of complications and death following cardiac surgery; and non-surgical procedures, such as cardiac stent placement) and, additionally, must show better cost efficiency relative to their peers.  Only those facilities that first meet Blue Distinction’s nationally established, objective quality measures are considered for designation as a Blue Distinction Center+. 

For more information about the Blue Distinction program and for a complete listing of the designated facilities, visit www.bcbs.com/bluedistinction.

The health system created by the merger of Edward and Elmhurst Memorial provides comprehensive healthcare to 1.7 million residents in the west and southwest suburbs of Chicago – it includes three hospitals, 50 locations, 7,700 employees, 1,700 staff physicians and 1,700 volunteers.

Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, founded in 1926, opened a new, 866,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art acute care hospital in 2011, with 259 private patient rooms, a modern emergency department and technologically advanced surgical suites.  For more information, visit www.emhc.org.

Edward Hospital in Naperville, established in 1907, has 309 private patient rooms and offers advanced cardiac care at Edward Heart Hospital, the most up-to-date cancer diagnosis and treatment at Edward Cancer Center and world class stroke care through the Edward Neurosciences Institute.  For more information, visit www.edward.org.

Linden Oaks at Edward is a 108-bed behavioral health hospital on Edward’s Naperville campus with outpatient locations in Naperville, Plainfield, St. Charles, Woodridge and Yorkville.  For more information, visit www.edward.org/lindenoaks.