Penrose-St. Francis Health Services Designated

March 10, 2010

Blue Distinction Centers for Spine SurgerySM

We're extremely honored to be recognized as a Blue Distinction Center for Spine Surgery," said Margaret Sabin, president and CEO of Penrose-St. Francis Health Services. We're committed to improving the quality, consistency, availability and affordability of health care for people in the Pikes Peak region, and this designation reflects the commitment of the outstanding physicians, nurses, staff and volunteers providing excellent care every day."

Blue Distinction puts a high value on research and evidence-based health and medical information," said Allan Korn, MD, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association Chief Medical Officer. Blue Distinction Centers show our commitment to working with doctors and hospitals in communities across the country to identify leading institutions that meet clinically validated quality standards and deliver better overall outcomes in patient care."

The selection criteria used to evaluate facilities were developed with input from a panel of expert physicians. To be designated as a Blue Distinction Center for Spine Surgery, the following types of criteria were evaluated. More information on selection criteria is available on www.bcbs.com:

Established acute care inpatient facility, including intensive care, emergency care, and a full range of patient support services with full accreditation by a CMS-deemed national accreditation organization
Experience and training of program surgeons, including case volume
Quality management programs, including surgical checklists as well as tracking and evaluation of clinical outcomes and process of care
Multi-disciplinary clinical pathways and teams to coordinate and streamline care, including transitions of care
Shared decision making and preoperative patient education

The Blue Distinction designation is awarded by the 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 and transplants. The program is part of The Blues efforts to collaborate with physicians and medical facilities to improve the overall quality and safety of specialty care.

The additional Blue Distinction Centers for Spine Surgery designations will bring the nations number of Blue Distinction designations to more than 1,600and this number is expected to increase in the coming years.

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.

About Penrose-St. Francis Health Services:
Penrose-St. Francis Health Services is a full-service, 522-bed acute care facility offering a full complement of emergency, medical and surgical services. Penrose-St. Francis was named was of Americas 50 Best Hospitals" for 2008, 2009 and 2010 by HealthGrades, the only recipient in Colorado. Penrose-St. Francis is part of Centura Health, Colorados largest hospital and health care network delivering advanced care to more than half a million people each year, across 12 hospitals, seven senior living communities, medical clinics, Flight For Life and home care and hospice services. Penrose-St. Francis and Centura's strength lies in the ability to offer a team of connected networks and shared resources to deliver accessible, reliable and cost-effective health care across the state. For more information about Penrose-St. Francis Health Services, visit www.penrosestfrancis.org or the Media Room at http://psf.mediaroom.com/ or join us on facebook at www.facebook.com/penrosestfrancis.

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