Tribune staff reports

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Indiana recently selected Schneck Medical Center as a Blue Distinction Center+ for Knee and Hip Replacement.

The designation is part of the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program, according to a news release from the Seymour hospital.

Blue Distinction Centers+ are nationally designated health care facilities shown to deliver improved patient safety and better health outcomes based on objective measures developed by Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies with input from the medical community, according to the news release.

Knee and hip replacement procedures are among the fastest growing medical treatments in the United States, according to studies published in the June 2014 Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

In 2010, the estimated cost of hip replacements averaged $17,500, and the estimated cost of knee replacements averaged $16,000, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Hospitals designated as Blue Distinction Centers+ for Knee and Hip Replacement demonstrate expertise in total knee and total hip replacement surgeries, resulting in fewer patient complications and hospital re-admissions.

Designated hospitals also must maintain national accreditation. Besides meeting these quality thresholds, hospitals designated as Blue Distinction Centers+ are on average 20 percent more cost-efficient in an episode of care compared to other hospitals.

The Blue Distinction Specialty Care program is designed to help people find quality providers for their specialty care needs in the areas of bariatric surgery, cardiac care, complex and rare cancers, knee and hip replacements, maternity care, spine surgery and transplants.

The program also is designed to encourage health care professionals to improve the care they deliver.