Palmdale Regional Medical Center Earns Blue Distinction® Center Designation for Quality in Spine Surgery
Blue Shield® of California and Anthem Blue Cross® have selected Palmdale Regional Medical Center as a Blue Distinction® Center for Spine Surgery, as part of the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program. Blue Distinction Centers are nationally designated healthcare facilities that show a commitment to delivering high-quality patient safety and better health outcomes, based on objective measures that were developed with input from the medical community and leading accreditation and quality organizations.
Spinal surgeries are one of the most frequent types of elective surgeries in the U.S. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, (AHRQ), there were more than 463,000 spinal fusion operations conducted in the U.S. in 2014, a procedure commonly done in the lumbar region of the lower back to treat back pain.
Learn more about Spinal Fusion Surgery at Palmdale Regional.
Facilities designated as Blue Distinction Centers for Spine Surgery demonstrate expertise in cervical and lumbar fusion, cervical laminectomy and lumbar laminectomy/discectomy procedures, resulting in fewer patient complications and readmissions compared to other hospitals. All designated facilities must maintain national accreditation.
Palmdale Regional is proud to be recognized by Blue Shield of California and Anthem Blue Cross for meeting the robust selection criteria for spine surgery set by the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program.
“I am extremely proud of the team at Palmdale Regional," says Jody Pienta, Director of Program Development at Palmdale Regional. "The staff and physicians work hard every day to provide the best care and outcomes to our patients. Receiving the Blue Distinction Center for Spine Surgery Designation is a testament to the compassion and expertise of our staff and surgeons, but more importantly it reminds us of the difference we are making in the lives of the people in the community we take care of every day.”
The Blue Distinction Specialty Care program has helped patients find quality care in the areas of bariatric surgery, cancer care, cardiac care, cellular immunotherapy, fertility care, gene therapy, knee and hip replacements, maternity care, spine surgery, substance use treatment and recovery and transplants. Research for many of these programs shows that, compared to other providers, those designated as Blue Distinction Centers demonstrate high-quality and improved outcomes for patients.
Learn more about the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program →