Skip to content

Blue Distinction Centers for Cardiac Care

Blue Distinction Centers for Cardiac Care


The American Heart Association estimates that 1.2 million Americans will experience a first or recurrent heart attack each year. When it is you or someone you care about that is in need of heart care, you want to find a facility you can trust.

Blue Distinction Centers for Cardiac Care® have demonstrated their commitment to quality care, resulting in better overall outcomes for cardiac patients. Each facility meets stringent clinical criteria, developed in collaboration with expert physicians' and medical organizations' recommendations*, including the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), and is subject to periodic reevaluation as criteria continue to evolve.

Blue Distinction Centers for Cardiac Care provide a full range of cardiac care services, including inpatient cardiac care, cardiac rehabilitation, cardiac catheterization and cardiac surgery (including coronary artery bypass graft surgery).** To date, we have designated approximately 500 Blue Distinction Centers for Cardiac Care across the country.

To view the list of Blue Distinction Centers for Cardiac Care, 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 Centers for Cardiac Care, along with Blue Distinction Centers for Bariatric Surgery®, Blue Distinction Centers for Complex and Rare Cancers®, Blue Distinction Centers for Knee and Hip Replacement®, Blue Distinction Center for Spine Surgery® and Blue Distinction Centers for Transplants® 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.

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.

Some Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies ("Plans") may already participate in local cardiac care programs. The Blue Distinction Centers for Cardiac Care program neither disrupts nor replaces the Plans' own existing programs.

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

** At the discretion of the local BCBS Plan and under a specified contingency process, a facility that provides the full range of cardiac services but does not provide on-site coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery may be considered for Blue Distinction designation if it is part of a cooperative system with a qualifying facility that provides emergency backup CABG for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and meets our contingency criteria. Blue Distinction Centers for Cardiac Care without on-site CABG will be differentiated from full-service Blue Distinction Centers for Cardiac Care in program listings.

Note:  Designation as Blue Distinction Centers means 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 any facilities, please call your local Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield Plan; and call your provider before making an appointment, to verify the most current information on its Network participation and Blue Distinction 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 website or receiving care from a provider listed in this website.