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JACKSON VASCULAR SURGERY RECEIVES
VASCULAR TESTING ACCREDITATION BY THE IAC
March 30 is National
Doctors’ Day.
Show your appreciation
with a gift to the Jackson
Hospital Foundation in
honor of your doctor. See
the enclosed envelope.
SKILLED HANDS
The Jackson Clinic Vascular Specialists—Brian Sellers, DO, and Gino
Castaneda, MD—performed an endovascular repair of a thoracic aortic
aneurysm, a first at Jackson Hospital, in late 2015. A thoracic aortic aneu-
rysm, an abnormal bulge in a weakened wall of the aorta in the chest area,
can cause a variety of symptoms and often life-threatening complications.
Due to the serious risks it presents, timely diagnosis and treatment of a
thoracic aneurysm are crucial. Endovascular repair of thoracic aneurysms
is generally less painful and has a lower risk of complications than tradi-
tional surgery because the incisions are smaller. Endovascular aortic aneu-
rysm procedures also allow you to leave the hospital sooner and recover
more quickly after your aorta repair. Dr. Sellers’ recent patient now has a
great life-expectancy since having this successful procedure. The Jackson
Clinic Vascular Specialists continue to strive for excellence.
TIDBITS
Blue Cross Blue Shield has recognized Jackson Hospital as
a Blue Distinction Center+ for Hip and Knee Replacements,
Maternity Care, and Spine Surgery.
Blue Cross Blue Shield’s evaluation criteria are based on
what impacts you and your care the most, including:
• The expertise of the medical team
• The number of times the facility has performed the
procedure
• The facility’s track record for procedure results
Quality remains key. Only those facilities that first meet
nationally established, objective quality measures for Blue
Distinction Centers will be considered for designation as a
Blue Distinction Center+.
Blue Distinction Centers have a proven track record for
delivering better results—including fewer complications and
readmissions—than facilities without these recognitions.
DISTINGUISHED IN YOUR SERVICE
Blue Distinction Centers (BDC) met overall quality measures for patient safety and outcomes, developed with input from the medical community. A Local Blue Plan may require additional crite-
ria for facilities 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 facility’s cost of care is evaluated using data from its Local Blue Plan. Facilities 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.
Cardiovascular diseases—disorders
of the heart and blood vessels—are
the No. 1 cause of death in the United
States. On average, every 39 seconds, an
American dies of cardiovascular disease.
Early detection of life-threatening heart
disorders, stroke and other diseases
is possible through the use of vascular
testing procedures performed in hospi-
tals, outpatient centers and physicians’
offices. There are many factors that con-
tribute to an accurate diagnosis based
on vascular testing, among them the skill
of the technologist(s) and the interpret-
ing physician(s), the type of instrument
used, and quality assurance measures.
The Jackson Clinic Vascular Surgery
has been granted a three-year term
of accreditation in vascular testing in
the areas of peripheral venous test-
ing by the Intersocietal Accreditation
Commission (IAC). This means that the
Jackson Clinic Vascular Surgery has
undergone a thorough review of its
operational and technical components
by a panel of experts. The IAC grants
accreditation only to those facilities
that are found providing high-quality
patient care in compliance with national
standards through a comprehensive
application process, including detailed
case study review.
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