Sanford USD Medical Center earns knee/hip replacement honor
December 2, 2025
Contact:
David Brown
Sanford Health Media Relations
605-366-2432 / david.brown@sanfordhealth.org
SIOUX FALLS, SD — The Sanford USD Medical Center has received a Blue Distinction® Center+ (BDC+) designation for Knee and Hip Replacement by Wellmark® Blue Cross® and Blue Shield® as part of the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program.
This program identifies hospitals and ambulatory care centers that demonstrate expertise in patient safety, deliver better health outcomes, and are more cost-effective. Quality assessments are based on objective measures developed from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association’s (BCBSA) partnership with the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).
This designation is a testament to the rigorous standards met by Sanford USD Medical Center. Designated knee and hip replacement facilities deliver high-quality care, with an average of 21% fewer readmissions and 21% fewer complications within 90 days after knee and hip replacement surgery. Designated facilities also achieve cost savings of 30% for knee and hip replacements compared to all other facilities for that specialty care area.
Patients treated at designated facilities benefit from the expertise and advanced practices that lead to improved recovery times and reduced complications making a positive difference in their overall health journey.
“Providing excellent patient care is our number one priority at Sanford Health,” said Dean Kusler, vice president of orthopedics and neurology at Sanford Health. “Knee and hip replacements have a tremendous impact on our patients’ lives and this honor demonstrates our team’s continued efforts to meet their needs and improve outcomes.”
Among other criteria, to receive a designation, facilities must:
- Have full accreditation from at least one national accrediting organization as either a hospital or ambulatory surgery center
- Have low complication, mortality and unplanned readmission rates within 90 days after elective primary total knee and hip replacements
- Have enhanced recovery after surgery processes and procedures in place for quality perioperative care
- Participate in Wellmark’s BlueCard Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) Network
By meeting these criteria, Sanford USD Medical Center not only highlights its commitment to high quality health care but also commits to remaining at the forefront of advancements in knee and hip replacements.
To further improve patient outcomes and inform treatment strategies, BCBSA utilized the AAOS and American Joint Replacement Registry for evidence-based performance measures and patient reported outcome measures.
Since 2005, the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program has helped patients find quality specialty care—and, for those that meet the program’s cost criteria, at lower costs—in the areas of bariatric surgery, cancer care, cardiac care, cellular immunotherapy, fertility care, knee and hip replacement, maternity care, spine surgery, substance use treatment and recovery, and transplants, while encouraging health care professionals to improve the quality of care they deliver.
For more information about the program and for a complete listing of the designated providers, visit our website.
All companies and trademarks listed above are the property of their respective owners and used for identification purposes only, and are in no way associated or affiliated with the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. Use of these trademarks does not imply endorsement. The Blue Cross® and Blue Shield® names and symbols and Blue Distinction® are registered trademarks of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.
About Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Wellmark, Inc., is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. As a mutual insurance company, we’re owned by our policy holders across Iowa and South Dakota. More than two million people in Iowa and South Dakota are covered by a Wellmark health plan. We work hard every day to make health care better as a trusted, innovative and inclusive leader committed to improving the health of the people and communities we serve. Learn more at Wellmark.com.
About Sanford Health
Sanford Health, the largest rural health system in the United States, is dedicated to transforming the health care experience and providing access to world-class health care in America’s heartland. Headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the organization has 53,000 employees and serves over 2 million patients and nearly 425,000 health plan members across the upper Midwest including South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wyoming, Iowa, Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The integrated nonprofit health system includes a network of 56 hospitals, 288 clinic locations, 147 senior care communities, 4,000 physicians and advanced practice providers and nearly 1,500 active clinical trials and studies. The organization’s transformational virtual care initiative brings patients closer to care with access to 78 specialties. Learn more about Sanford Health’s commitment to shaping the future of rural health care across the lifespan at sanfordhealth.org or Sanford Health News.
About the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association is a national federation of independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide health care coverage for one in three Americans. BCBSA provides health care insights through The Health of America Report series and the national BCBS Health IndexSM. For more information on BCBSA and its member companies, please visit bcbs.com.
About Blue Distinction Centers
Blue Distinction Centers (BDC) met overall quality measures, developed with input from the medical community. A local Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) company may require additional criteria for providers located in its own service area; for details, contact your local BCBS company. Blue Distinction Centers+ (BDC+) also met cost measures that address consumers’ need for affordable healthcare. Each provider’s cost of care is evaluated using data from its local BCBS company. Providers in CA, ID, NY, PA, and WA may lie in two local BCBS company’s areas, resulting in two evaluations for cost of care; and their own local BCBS company’s decide whether one or both cost of care evaluation(s) must meet BDC+ national criteria. National criteria for BDC and BDC+ are displayed on www.bcbs.com. Individual outcomes may vary. For details on a provider’s in-network status or your own policy’s coverage, contact your local BCBS company and ask your provider before making an appointment. Neither Blue Cross Blue Shield Association nor any BCBS company are responsible for non-covered charges or other losses or damages resulting from Blue Distinction or other provider finder information or care received from Blue Distinction or other providers.
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