Blue Distinction Centers for Transplants

More than 100,000 people in the United States were registered for organ donations from one of the nation's 800+ transplant programs.* The Blue Distinction Centers for Transplants^® program can help you find the transplant program that meets your needs.

Blue Distinction Centers for Transplants have demonstrated their commitment to quality care, resulting in better overall outcomes for transplant patients. Each facility meets stringent clinical criteria, established in collaboration with expert physicians' and medical organizations' recommendations**, including the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR), the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) and the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT), and is subject to periodic reevaluation as criteria continue to evolve.

Blue Distinction Centers for Transplants provide a range of services for transplant, including:

• heart
• lung (deceased and living donor)
• combination heart/lung
• liver (deceased and living donor)
• simultaneous pancreas kidney (SPK)
• pancreas (PAK/PTA)
• bone marrow/stem cell (autologous and allogeneic)

To date, more than 80 Blue Distinction Centers for Transplants have been designated, representing more than 280 specific transplant programs across the country.

• List of Blue Distinction Centers for Transplants (PDF)
• Blue Distinction Center Finder

To view the list of Blue Distinction Centers for Transplants, please click on the link to launch a PDF. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader® to view the document. If you do not have Acrobat, please click here to download it for free.

• Blue Distinction Selection Criteria (overview)
• Blue Distinction Centers for Transplants Selection Criteria (detail)
  • Bone Marrow/Stem Cell
  • Heart
  • Liver
  • Lung
  • Pancreas
  • Solid Organ

Blue Distinction Centers for Transplants, along with Blue Distinction Centers for Bariatric Surgery^®, Blue Distinction Centers for Cardiac Care^®, and Blue Distinction Centers for Complex and Rare Cancers^SM, are a key part of The Blues^®' effort to collaborate with doctors and facilities to improve the overall quality and, therefore, affordability, of specialty care.

Click here for additional resources and facts about transplant services, including sources of potential financial assistance and a directory of available patient advocates and education.

If you are a physician or hospital administrator interested in learning more or applying for the Blue Distinction^®designation for your medical facility, please click here.

* Source: The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), the unified transplant network established by the United States Congress under the National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA) of 1984. Visit www.optn.org to learn more.

** These organizations have provided information and input, but do not formally endorse the Blue Distinction Centers^® program.

Note:  Designation as Blue Distinction Centers means that these facilities' overall experience and aggregate data met objective criteria established in collaboration with expert clinicians' and leading professional organizations’ recommendations.  Individual outcomes may vary.  To find out which services are covered under your policy at these or any other facilities, please call your local Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield Plan; and please call your provider before making an appointment, to verify the most current information on their Network participation status.  Neither Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association nor any of its Licensees are responsible for any damages, losses, or non-covered charges that may result from using this Web site or receiving care from a provider listed in this Web site.