Allegheny Health Network’s West Penn Hospital
West Penn Hospital designated
a Blue Distinction® Center for
Maternity Care
Dr. Clouser named Medical
Director of Neonatal Intensive
Care Unit
Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield has designated Allegheny
Health Network’s West Penn Hospital a Blue Distinction® Center +
for Maternity Care, part of the national Blue Distinction Specialty
Care program.
Neonatologist Barbara A. Clouser, MD, has joined Allegheny
Health Network (AHN) as Medical Director of the Level III Neonatal
Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at West Penn Hospital.
Blue Distinction® Center+ hospitals deliver expert and costefficient specialty care, and consistently measure quality and
safety. To receive a Blue Distinction® Center + for Maternity Care
designation, a hospital must demonstrate its expertise in and
commitment to family-centered care, care processes that support
physiologic childbirth, evidence-based care, transparent and
regular measurements of quality outcomes and performance,
and team-based drills for high-risk events. A hospital must
also have earned national accreditation at the facility level. In
addition, a Blue Distinction Center+ hospital must demonstrate
better cost-efficiency compared to its peers.
“We are proud of this designation
for West Penn,” said Allan
Klapper, MD, Chair, Obstetrics
and Gynecology, Allegheny
Health Network. “It is a reflection
of the exceptional expertise,
dedication, compassion and
teamwork displayed by our
women’s and infant care
providers.”
Also receiving this designation
are Allegheny Health Network’s
Forbes and Saint Vincent
Allan Klapper, MD
hospitals. These honors are
the latest recognition for the quality of AHN’s women’s and
infant care. AHN is rated the #1 health system for women’s
health quality in western Pennsylvania and among the top 6
percent nationally for quality women’s health care, according
to Comparion® Medical Analytics, 2016 National Quality Rating
Database. Learn more about Allegheny Health Network’s
Women’s Health specialties at AHN.org or call 412.DOCTORS.
Dr. Clouser comes to AHN from
Akron Children’s Hospital –
Mahoning Valley, where she was
director of the NICU. She began
her career as a neonatologist
at the then-Mercy Hospital of
Pittsburgh, and was director of
the NICU at Allegheny General
Hospital before it merged with
West Penn’s NICU in 2008.
“We are very happy to have Dr.
Clouser return to AHN to lead
West Penn’s NICU,” said Joseph
Aracri, DO, System Chair of
Barbara A. Clouser, MD
Pediatrics, Allegheny Health
Network. “Her depth of experience will serve the NICU well as it
embarks on the first major expansion and renovation project in its
long and distinguished history.”
Level III NICUs indicate the highest level of specialized care. West
Penn is a major regional referral center for infants who require
neonatal care. Every year, the neonatal transport team transfers
about 250 infants to West Penn from community hospitals in
Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio. In 2016, AHN will begin a
major expansion and renovation of the West Penn NICU, including
private rooms for most families.
West Penn Hospital • 4800 Friendship Avenue • Pittsburgh, PA 15224
Contact us at AHn.org or call 412.DOCTORS (412.362.8677)