SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb., ― Regional West’s Birth and Infant Care Center is proud to be recognized by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska (BCBSNE) with a Blue Distinction® Centers (BDC) for Maternity Care designation as part of the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program. To earn this designation, each facility must deliver quality care, safely and effectively.

The Blue Distinction Centers for Maternity Care program plays a key role in the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association’s (BCBSA) National Health Equity Strategy aimed at reducing racial health disparities across the care spectrum and improving patient outcomes for all Americans. To align with this strategy, the Blue Distinction Centers for Maternity Care program enhanced its quality and measurement standards to recognize higher-quality facilities that have taken action to respond effectively to obstetric emergencies, reduce racial disparities, and improve maternal health outcomes.

Based on data from the current designation cycle, facilities designated under the Blue Distinction Centers for Maternity Care program demonstrate higher quality care compared to non-Blue Distinction Center facilities, with overall average rates of 26% lower episiotomies; 60% fewer elective deliveries; and 17% lower cesarean births—all of which point to healthier outcomes for patients.

“We are thrilled to receive another two-year designation as a Blue Distinction Center for Maternity Care,” said Kynzie Lentfer, BSN, RN, CLC, director of Regional West’s Birth and Infant Care Center. “This designation helps show our commitment to providing excellent care for our maternity patients.”

The Blue Distinction Centers for Maternity Care program’s selection criteria was devised to close clinical care gaps and reduce inequities that persist throughout the maternal care spectrum. The selection criteria includes components of BCBSA’s Maternal Health Equity Actions, which dismantle the cultural, operational, and structural barriers that created inequities in maternal care.

To be designated under this program, each applicant facility was evaluated on a combination of objective data on patient outcomes as well as the practices implemented to reduce racial disparities and improve maternal health outcomes, such as:

• Using evidence-based best practices to respond effectively to obstetric emergencies
• Offering unconscious bias training
• Participating in the regional Perinatal Quality Collaborative
• Having doula support available on the maternity care team
• Collecting race, ethnicity, and language data
• Having a program dedicated to quality improvements in maternal care
• Running drills and simulations so providers are prepared to deal with a range of obstetric emergencies
• Demonstrating health outcomes that exceed the selection criteria for our program’s previous evaluation cycle

Regional West’s Birth and Infant Care Center is proud to be recognized by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska (BCBSNE) for meeting the rigorous quality selection criteria for maternity care set by the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program.

“We’re proud to work with providers like the Birth and Infant Care Center,” Dr. Josette Gordon-Simet, chief medical officer at BCBSNE, said. “Each year, we strive to create better relationships with our providers who, in turn, create better care and treatment experiences for our members. Regional West has dedicated time and resources towards developing training, drills and upgrades to improve their maternal health outcomes. This distinction shows just how hard our providers work to meet not only our standards, but the standards of our members.”

Since 2006, the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program has helped patients find quality specialty care at lower costs in the areas of bariatric surgery; cancer care; cardiac care; cellular immunotherapy; fertility care; gene therapy; knee and hip replacement; maternity care; spine surgery; substance use treatment; and recovery and transplants, while encouraging healthcare professionals to improve the care they deliver.

For more information about the program and for a complete listing of the designated providers, visit Blue Cross Blue Shield’s Blue Distinction Center website.

To learn more about Regional West’s Birth and Infant Care Center, visit RWHS.org or call 308-630-1550.

About Regional West

Regional West Health Services in Scottsbluff, Nebraska is the parent company of Regional West Medical Center, a 188-bed regional referral center celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2024 and the only Level II Trauma Center in Nebraska west of Kearney. As the region’s sole tertiary medical center, Regional West features an expansive array of medical specialties and numerous physician clinics. Regional West offers comprehensive and innovative healthcare services for the people of western Nebraska and the neighboring states of Colorado, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska is part of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield system, a national association of 34 independent, community-based and locally operated companies. Blue Cross and Blue Shield represents the nation’s largest and most experienced health insurance brands, collectively covering one in three Americans. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska has been providing security and peace of mind to its members since 1939.

About the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association

The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association is a national federation of independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide health care coverage for one in three Americans. BCBSA provides health care insights through The Health of America Report series and the national BCBS Health IndexSM. For more information on BCBSA and its member companies, please visit bcbs.com.

About Blue Distinction Centers

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 noncovered charges or other losses or damages resulting from Blue Distinction or other provider finder information or care received from Blue Distinction or other providers.

All companies and trademarks listed above are the property of their respective owners and used for identification purposes only and are in no way associated or affiliated with the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. Use of these trademarks does not imply endorsement. The Blue Cross® and Blue Shield® names and symbols and Blue Distinction® are registered trademarks of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.