PHILADELPHIA (November 6, 2015) – Temple University Hospital earned the status of a “Blue Distinction Center for Transplants” by Blue Cross Blue Shield, in recognition of the Fox Chase-Temple University Hospital Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) Program’s expertise in performing adult bone marrow transplants. The Fox Chase-Temple BMT Program is a formal affiliation with Fox Chase Cancer Center and is located on the campus of Jeanes Hospital – both of which are part of the Temple University Health System. All hospital services in the Fox Chase-Temple BMT Program are provided by Temple University Hospital.
“It’s an honor to have our team’s expertise in bone marrow transplantation recognized by this distinction,” said Henry C. Fung, MD, FRCPE, Vice Chair of Hematology at Fox Chase and director of the Fox Chase-Temple BMT Program. “A Blue Distinction Center for Transplants designation allows us to continually strive to deliver the highest quality of specialty care to our patients.”
“This kind of recognition affirms the performance of top-line physicians like Dr. Fung and the commitment of his colleagues and care teams to providing high-performance services to our patients,” said Temple University Hospital President & CEO John N. Kastanis, FACHE.
Blue Cross Blue Shield developed this prestigious distinction to help patients in search of high- quality specialty care choose the facility that best fits their needs. Using input from the medical community, the Blue Distinction Center for Transplants designation is given to hospitals that meet quality measures such as surgical team expertise, transplant procedure volume, and positive patient outcomes.
Since its start in 1990, the Fox Chase-Temple BMT Program has performed more than 1,500 transplants for patients with leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, aplastic anemia and other disorders. The Program is fully accredited by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT), and participates in the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP).
The Program’s doctors and staff actively participate in protocols from institutions within the Temple University Health System, the Eastern Clinical Oncology Group (ECOG) and the Bone Marrow Clinical Trials Network (BMT-CTN).
Blue Distinction Centers (BDC) met overall quality measures, developed with input from the medical community. A Local Blue Plan may require additional criteria for providers located in its own service area; for details, contact your Local Blue Plan. Blue Distinction Centers+ (BDC+) also met cost measures that address consumers’ need for affordable healthcare. Each provider’s cost of care is evaluated using data from its Local Blue Plan. Providers in CA, ID, NY, PA, and WA may lie in two Local Blue Plans’ areas, resulting in two evaluations for cost of care; and their own Local Blue Plans decide whether one or both cost of care evaluation(s) must meet BDC+ national criteria. National criteria for BDC and BDC+ are displayed on www.bcbs.com. Individual outcomes may vary. For details on a provider’s in-network status or your own policy’s coverage, contact your Local Blue Plan and ask your provider before making an appointment. Neither Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association nor any Blue Plans are responsible for non-covered charges or other losses or damages resulting from Blue Distinction or other provider finder information or care received from Blue Distinction or other providers.