Three Baylor Health Care System Hospitals Named Blue Distinction Centers^SM for Cardiac Care, Bariatric Surgery

Contact: Wendy Walker, (214) 820-4581
Email: wendyw@baylorhealth.edu

(DALLAS, April 23, 2007) - Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (A Division of Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company, an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association) has named Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, Baylor Jack and Jane Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital and Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano as Blue Distinction Centers^SM for Cardiac Care. In addition, Baylor Dallas is recognized as a Blue Distinction Center^SM for Bariatric Surgery.

Blue Distinction is the Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies' nationwide program that will create an unprecedented level of transparency with two goals: engaging consumers to enable more informed health care decisions and collaborating with physicians and hospitals to improve quality outcomes and affordability. A key component of Blue Distinction is a specialty center program that offers the best practices and standards of care in cardiac care, bariatric surgery and transplant services.

"Our physicians, nurses and staff work hard every day to provide safe, quality, compassionate patient care. The Blue Distinction designation is evidence of the high standard of care we deliver, and provides a high level of confidence to patients in choosing Baylor as their health care provider," said Joel Allison, chief executive officer, Baylor Health Care System.

The process used to select Blue Distinction Centers^SM is based on clinical data supplied by hospitals. Each facility's structure, processes and care outcomes are rigorously evaluated. The criteria for designation include nationally endorsed quality measures, developed in collaboration with medical experts and professional organizations.

"We are pleased that the designation of Blue Distinction Centers provides another opportunity for Blue Cross to demonstrate our commitment to working with physicians and hospitals in our network who deliver care that meets the high quality standards of the Blue Distinction program," says Dr. Paul Handel, vice president and chief medical officer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas. "Because of ongoing quality management and improvement programs, those standards ensure that Blue Distinction Centers will continue to deliver the highest quality, full service care to their patients."

The criteria for becoming a Blue Distinction Center for Cardiac Care^SM include:

• Full-service, accredited inpatient hospital facility;
• Program must be performing a required volume of percutaneous coronary interventions and coronary artery bypass graft surgeries and provide a full range of services including inpatient cardiac care and cardiac rehabilitation;
• Sub-specialty board certification of cardiac team;
• Ongoing quality management and improvement programs; and
• Cardiac care processes and outcomes for acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, percutaneous coronary interventions and coronary artery bypass graft surgery including evaluation of complication and mortality rates.

The criteria for becoming a Blue Distinction Center for Bariatric Surgery^SM include:

• Full-service, accredited inpatient hospital facility;
• Program must be performing bariatric surgery for the most recent 18- to 24-month period and must perform a required volume of bariatric surgical cases;
• Experience and credentialing of the bariatric surgical team;
• Ongoing quality management and improvement programs;
• Appropriate equipment and staffing; and
• Patient care and follow-up care including evaluation of bariatric surgery complication and mortality rates.

Baylor Health Care System is a network of hospitals, primary care and specialty care centers, rehabilitation clinics, affiliated ambulatory surgery centers and the Baylor Research Institute. One of the largest private-sector employers in Dallas/Fort Worth, Baylor employs more than 16,500 people and has more than 2,700 physicians on its medical staffs. For fiscal year 2006, Baylor Health Care System reported $405.6 million in community benefit to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas - the only statewide, non-investor-owned health insurer in Texas - is the largest provider of health benefits in the state, working with nearly 40,000 physicians and 400 hospitals to serve 3.4 million members in all 254 counties. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas is a division of Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), the country's largest non-investor-owned health insurer and fourth largest health insurer overall. HCSC is a Mutual Legal Reserve Company and an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more information about Blue Distinction Centers, visit Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas at www.bcbstx.com.