Crestwood recognized for maternity care

MADISON – Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama has designated Crestwood Medical Center as one of the first hospitals to receive the Blue Distinction Center for Maternity Care designation.

Affiliated with the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program, the new designation satisfies an effort to help prospective parents find hospitals that deliver quality maternity care.

“We are proud to receive this recognition confirming our commitment to one-on-one expert care and industry best-practices, ensuring healthy outcomes for mommy and baby,” Molly Harvey said. Harvey is Manager of Crestwood Women’s Services.

“For parents, choosing where to deliver their baby can be overwhelming. The Blue Distinction program offers assurance that the designated facilities can provide the quality maternity care they are looking for,” Harvey said.

Approximately 4 million babies are born annually in the United States, resulting in childbirth as the most common cause of hospitalization. The new Blue Distinction Centers for Maternity Care program evaluates hospitals on several quality measures, including percentage of newborns that fall into the category of early elective delivery, an ongoing concern in the medical community.

Compared with babies born 39 weeks or later, early-term infants face higher risks of infant death and respiratory ailments, such as respiratory distress syndrome, pneumonia and respiratory failure. These babies also have a higher rate of admission to Neonatal Intensive Care Units.

In addition, hospitals that receive a Blue Distinction Center for Maternity Care designation agreed to meet requirements that align with principles that support evidence-based practices of care. These hospitals have initiated programs to promote successful breastfeeding, as described by various organizations like the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative.

The program also evaluates hospitals on overall satisfaction of patients and their willingness to recommend the hospital to others.

Blue Distinction Centers for Maternity Care, an expansion of the national Blue Distinction Specialty Care program, includes hospitals recognized for delivering quality specialty care safely and effectively, based on objective measures developed with input from the medical community.

For more information, visit bcbs.com/bluedistinction or CrestwoodMaternityCenter.com.