Independence Blue Cross and Abington Memorial Hospital Reach Multi-Year...( PHILADELPHIA Nov. 6 /- Independen...),Health

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Independence Blue Cross and its affiliates (IBC) and Abington Memorial Hospital announced that they have reached new three-year agreements that continue their long-standing relationship.

"We are pleased to continue our relationship with Independence Blue Cross," said Richard L. Jones, Jr., president and chief executive officer of Abington Memorial Hospital. "Abington is a leader in quality and patient safety, as demonstrated by its history of participating in IBC's quality-based reimbursement fee structure. It's always exciting to be rewarded for our good work."

IBC's quality-based pay for performance program provides Abington and other hospitals an opportunity to earn additional compensation for delivering increasingly high-quality health care to IBC members. This merit-based compensation approach measures quantitative criteria such as minimizing hospital-acquired infections, preventing adverse drug events, and reducing surgical complications to improve performance on patient safety and quality of care.

"We appreciate the professionalism and the fact-based, data-driven approach that characterized our discussions to arrive at this fair and reasonable agreement," said Joseph A. Frick, president and CEO of Independence Blue Cross. "We are very pleased our members can continue to count on Abington Memorial Hospital in our broad network of participating providers."

About Abington Memorial Hospital

Abington Memorial Hospital (Abington) is an independent, 570-bed, acute care teaching hospital with a medical staff of more than 800 physicians and 5,000 employees. Abington serves Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties and has the only Level II accredited trauma center in Montgomery County. Abington offers highly specialized services in cardiac care, cancer care, maternal child health and surgery.

Abington's demonstrated commitment to patient quality and safety has resulted in a number of nat
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