Wake Forest Baptist Awarded Three Stars and Higher Efficiency Designation as a UnitedHealth Premium® Cardiac Specialty Center for Cardiac Surgery

December 19, 2007

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center has received the designation of “Three Stars and Higher Efficiency” as a UnitedHealth Premium Cardiac – Cardiac Surgery Specialty Center for 2007.

“This designation is truly a testimony to the collaborative and multidisciplinary care team approach the Heart Center uses in providing high quality cardiovascular care,” said Rich Lundy, administrative director of Cardiology Diagnostic Services at Wake Forest Baptist.
“This is particularly meaningful for the people for our region, as North Carolina has a high incidence of heart disease.”
The designation is based upon a review of the high quality of care and cost efficiency of the Heart Center at Wake Forest Baptist. According to UnitedHealthcare®, the program supports the insurer’s efforts to help patients and consumers make informed health care decisions based on evidence-based quality and cost information. The Heart Center’s designation will be included in the insurer’s online directories and in all material sent to consumers, employers and physicians.

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Media contact: Jim Steele, (336) 716-3487, jsteele@wfubmc.edu, Bonnie Davis, bdavis@wfubmc.edu; or Shannon Koontz, shkoontz@wfubmc.edu, (336) 716-4587.

Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center is an academic health system comprised of North Carolina Baptist Hospital and Wake Forest University Health Sciences, which operates the university’s School of Medicine. The system comprises 1,154 acute care, psychiatric, rehabilitation and long-term care beds and is consistently ranked as one of “America’s Best Hospitals” by U.S. News & World Report.

Media Relations