| When I first began researching information on | | | | particular criteria that needs to be met in order |
| various hospitals across the United States, I came | | | | for the hospital to state that their program is a |
| across many hospitals that offered a variety of | | | | Center of Excellence. They might require that the |
| Centers of Excellence. I was curious as to what | | | | treatments be performed by a certain type of |
| constituted a Center of Excellence as opposed to | | | | doctor or that a certain amount of treatments |
| just listing a program as a specialty service, so I | | | | are performed annually. |
| decided to research this as well. | | | | I also found that different health care programs |
| What I found out was that a Center of | | | | and health insurance programs will also designate a |
| Excellence essentially means that a hospital | | | | program of a hospital as a Center of Excellence |
| specializes in the treatment of a certain illness or | | | | based on their own criteria. This might mean that |
| specializes in particular treatments. Centers of | | | | they are more likely to recommend this hospital |
| excellence can be anything from heart or cancer | | | | as opposed to another hospital. They do this as a |
| care to neurosurgery or organ transplants. Some | | | | service to the patients who have their insurance |
| hospitals offer a variety of Centers of Excellence | | | | to help them make an informed decision about |
| whereas other hospitals might just offer one or | | | | which program is right for them. If you have a |
| two. | | | | question about a particular hospitals Center of |
| It was more difficult to find out how a hospital | | | | Excellence designation, you should ask them about |
| was able to claim the distinction of having a | | | | how they received the designation and who gave |
| Center of Excellence. From what I could gather, | | | | it to them. |
| each individual program and treatment has | | | | |