2009 Blue StarSM Hospital Report Now Available
At Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL), we are committed to helping members make informed health care choices and decisions with reliable information.
One resource that provides members with hospital performance information is the annual Blue Star Hospital Report. The report summarizes a number of quality and safety performance measures in an easy-to-follow chart. Hospitals that meet or exceed thresholds set by BCBSIL receive a “blue star.” Members can use this information as an additional resource to help them choose the hospital that best meets their needs. Now in its fifth year, the annual report has proven useful to both members and physicians.
Summary of Results
Based on the data collected and analyzed in the annual BCBSIL Hospital Profile, the 2009 Blue Star Hospital Report provides information for 94 urban Illinois hospitals. Hospital profiles are compiled from data collected from multiple sources, including: BCBSIL claim data, annual BCBSIL member survey, information provided by the hospitals, and publicly available information from entities such as the Leapfrog Group, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and accrediting entities.
For the Blue Star Hospital Report, each hospital’s performance is reported for two indicators in each of five categories: Structure, Process, Quality and Safety Outcomes, Member Survey and Efficiency. These cover accreditation and board certification, participation in state and national quality improvement initiatives, member satisfaction with hospital care, and utilization and administrative efficiency.
One blue star can be earned for each indicator, for a maximum of 10 blue stars. To help make comparisons more valid, the BCBSIL contracting hospitals are divided into five peer groups.
Based on the performance of these 94 urban Illinois hospitals, 18 hospitals (19 percent) earned eight or more blue stars; three hospitals earned all 10 blue stars.
Review the 2009 Report
Details of the performance measurement criteria and the Blue Star Hospital Report are available for producers, employers, members and providers online.
Also, BCBSIL measures patient care indicators and member satisfaction with our HMO products, and reports results in the Blue StarSM Medical Group/IPA Report and HEDIS® Report (see article in Group Markets section).
