Hickory , NC – Frye Regional Medical Center is pleased to announce its recent designation as one of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina’s Cardiac Centers of Excellence. The designation is part of the national Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association’s (BCBSA) Blue Centers for Cardiac Care program.

Frye is the only hospital in Western North Carolina to receive this title, naming Frye as a high-volume heart facility delivering favorable outcomes and meeting nationally recognized criteria for experience and quality.

“Our staff works very hard to ensure quality patient care,” said Denny Bruns, Frye President and CEO. “Our designation as a Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Cardiac Center of Excellence is evidence of the high standard of cardiac care we deliver every day.”

Cardiac Centers of Excellence are part of a larger BCBSNC initiative to identify doctors and hospitals in North Carolina demonstrating the greatest commitment to quality.

Frye has also been designated as a UnitedHealth Premium Cardiac Specialty Center for quality, in addition to being the only hospital in the Unifour area to receive the American Heart Association’s Get With the Guidelines Participating Hospital Award for Coronary Artery Disease and Heart Failure. For more information on the Frye Heart Center, call 828-315-3278.

Frye Regional Medical Center, part of Tenet North Carolina, is a 355-bed acute care facility located at 420 North Center Street in Hickory, NC. The hospital has been serving the medical and health care needs of Catawba County since 1911. The hospital’s main campus includes a comprehensive heart center and cardiac rehab, orthopedics, bariatric surgery, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, pediatrics, center for neurosciences, cancer center and women’s pavilion. Frye has several extended campuses to serve families throughout the area including: Wellness and Education Center which houses the Center For Diabetes Self-Management Care, perinatal education and community wellness classes; South Campus for psychiatric services; Viewmont and Tate Surgery Centers; Vein and Wound Center/Infusion Care; Pain Center; Piedmont Therapy, offering sports and industrial rehabilitation; an urgent care facility; FryeCare, an outpatient diagnostic facility; Alexander Campus, which provides 24 hour emergency care along with diagnostic and laboratory services and infusion care; plus HealthPoint, which provides extensive industrial services and programs to employers.

Frye Regional Medical Center is accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency. To learn more about the hospital, visit www.fryemedctr.com