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Outpatient Surgery Center first to receive Blue Distinction in Central Iowa

The Orthopaedic Outpatient Surgery Center, a joint venture between DMOS Orthopaedic Centers and UnityPoint Health – Des Moines, is pleased to announce its recognition as a Blue Distinction Center of Excellence for Knee and Hip Replacement. Blue Distinction Centers are nationally designated healthcare facilities shown to deliver improved patient safety and better health outcomes, based on objective measures that were developed by Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies with input from the medical community.

“DMOS is proud to be recognized by Blue Cross Blue Shield for meeting the robust selection criteria set by the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program. “We have worked hard with the Staff at OOSC and UnityPoint Health to achieve this distinction,” said Nick Honkamp, MD, board president of DMOS. “Blue Distinction exemplifies our commitment to patients and employers in providing avenues of care by which the cost of orthopedic care is managed.”

OOSC is the first ambulatory surgery center (ASC) to receive Blue Distinction in Central Iowa and one of 17 in Iowa to be accepted into this program.

“We value what the Blue Distinction Program brings to Central Iowa,” said Brian Van Brocklin, director of OOSC. “For DMOS Orthopaedic Centers and OOSC it is providing our patients with quality care focusing on reducing cost, improving the patient experience and providing consistent, quality outcomes for our total knees and joint replacements.”

Outpatient total joint procedures are growing rapidly in the United States. Presently, approximately 1 million procedures are being done per year and this number is estimated to grow to four million. Orthopaedic surgeons’ consensus is that 40 percent of all people having total joint surgery would meet the requirements for same-day surgery. In order to meet the future demands of outpatient procedures, surgery teams and centers will need to continue to drive innovation that will advance efficiencies to support this demand while decreasing the costs associated with these procedures.

“The advances we continue to make in high quality, cost-effective orthopaedic care are only possible because of the teamwork from all of our health care providers,” said Tom Mulrooney, vice president and chief operating officer for Surgical and Cardiovascular Services at UnityPoint Health – Des Moines. “We are very proud to partner with DMOS to provide excellent orthopaedic care at the OOSC.”

The Blue Distinction Centers for Specialty Care program identifies hospitals delivering quality care in bariatric surgery, cardiac care, complex and rare cancers, knee and hip replacements, spine surgery, and transplants. These specialty areas comprise approximately 30 percent of inpatient hospital expenditures. For more information about the program and for a complete listing of the designated facilities, please visit www.bcbs.com/bluedistinction.


About Blue Distinction® Centers
Blue Distinction Centers® (BDC) met overall quality measures for patient safety and outcomes, developed with input from the medical community. Blue Distinction Centers+SM (BDC+) also met cost measures that address consumers’ need for affordable health care. Individual outcomes may vary. National criteria are displayed on www.bcbs.com. A Local Blue Plan may require additional criteria for facilities located in its own service area. For details on Local Blue Plan Criteria, a provider’s in‐network status, or your own policy’s coverage, contact your Local Blue Plan. Each hospital’s Cost Index is calculated with data from its Local Blue Plan. Hospitals in CA, ID, NY, PA, and WA may lie in two Local Blue Plans’ areas, resulting in two Cost Index figures; and their own Local Blue Plans decide whether one or both Cost Index figures must meet BDC+ national criteria. Neither Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association nor any Blue Plans are responsible for damages or non‐covered charges resulting from Blue Distinction or other provider finder information or care received from Blue Distinction or other providers.

About DMOS
Since 1955 DMOS Orthopaedic Centers has been leading the way, providing innovative quality care to patients of Central Iowa with offices in Ankeny, Des Moines and West Des Moines and outreach locations in surrounding communities. The DMOS team of doctors, surgeons, and physical therapists have specialties that include: Sports Medicine, Hip, Knee, Shoulder, Foot & Ankle, Hand & Upper Extremity, Spine, and General Orthopedics. Along with inpatient and outpatient orthopedic surgery, DMOS offers a variety of services committed to helping you get back to living, which include: Urgent Injury Walk-In Clinic, MRI, Physical and Hand Therapy, Workers Compensation, Interventional Physiatry, Orthobiologic Medicine, Spine Center, and traditional Orthopedic Surgery

About UnityPoint Health – Des Moines
UnityPoint Health – Des Moines provides comprehensive, coordinated care to patients throughout the Greater Des Moines area through our clinics, hospitals and home care services. UnityPoint Health – Des Moines includes Iowa Methodist Medical Center; Iowa Lutheran Hospital; Methodist West Hospital; Blank Children’s Hospital including pediatric sub-specialty clinics; John Stoddard Cancer Center; UnityPoint Clinic; UnityPoint at Home and UnityPoint Hospice.

About Wellmark
Wellmark, Inc. (www.wellmark.com ) does business as Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa. Wellmark and its subsidiaries and affiliated companies, including Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Dakota and Wellmark Health Plan of Iowa, Inc., insure or pay health benefit claims for more than 2 million members in Iowa and South Dakota. Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa, Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Dakota, and Wellmark Health Plan of Iowa, Inc. are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

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