http://www.valuepartnerships.com/news.shtml Value Partnerships News 2009 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan en-us http://news.bcbsm.com/news/2010/news_2010-11-05-10123.shtml http://news.bcbsm.com/news/2010/news_2010-11-05-10123.shtml Thomas L. Simmer, M.D., Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan's senior vice president of Health Care Value and chief medical officer, was honored with a Crain's Health Care Heroes Award at the Oct. 14 Health Care Leadership Summit. Simmer was honored in the Corporate Achievement category for his leadership in building the nation's largest Patient-Centered Medical Home program here in Michigan. Simmer, the Blues chief medical officer since 1999, has built a strong rapport with Michigan's health care professionals during his tenure. newsroom@bcbsm.com (Media Relations) Fri, 5 Nov 2010 02:00:00 EDT http://news.bcbsm.com/news/2010/news_2010-11-03-14134.shtml http://news.bcbsm.com/news/2010/news_2010-11-03-14134.shtml Researchers from the University of Michigan and Michigan State University have been awarded a total of $2,741,501 for three research studies to evaluate several aspects of the Michigan Blues' Value Partnerships programs. The highly competitive research grants will allow experienced, outside researchers to test and validate several collaborative quality programs run by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, and determine their relevance on a national scale. newsroom@bcbsm.com (Media Relations) Wed, 3 Nov 2010 02:00:00 EDT http://news.bcbsm.com/news/2010/news_2010-08-26-16121.shtml http://news.bcbsm.com/news/2010/news_2010-08-26-16121.shtml Building upon an award-winning partnership program that has helped improve the quality of care in other medical areas, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Blue Care Network, the University of Michigan Medical Center and 16 other hospitals throughout the state are launching a new quality improvement initiative aimed at reducing the risk of blood clots in hospitalized patients. newsroom@bcbsm.com (Media Relations) Wed, 26 Aug 2010 02:00:00 EDT http://www.valuepartnerships.com/pdf/2010_Release_General_designation_FINAL.pdf http://www.valuepartnerships.com/pdf/2010_Release_General_designation_FINAL.pdf Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan has designated more than 1,800 physicians in roughly 500 practices across the state as patient-centered medical homes (PCMH), securing the initiative's position as the largest PCMH effort in the nation. The number of designated physicians grew by roughly 50% over the 1,200 designated PCMH physicians in 2009. newsroom@bcbsm.com (Media Relations) Wed, 23 Jun 2010 02:00:00 EDT http://news.bcbsm.com/news/2010/news_2010-06-10-17089.shtml http://news.bcbsm.com/news/2010/news_2010-06-10-17089.shtml Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan has added two new categories in the Blue Distinction Center designation programs: Blue Distinction Centers for Spine Surgery^SM and Blue Distinction Centers for Knee and Hip Replacement^SM. Hospitals that have earned these designations have met specific quality levels and have demonstrated expertise in delivering quality healthcare for knee and hip replacement or for spine surgery. The designation helps patients choose high quality facilities for needed care in these specific areas. newsroom@bcbsm.com (Media Relations) Thu, 10 Jun 2010 02:00:00 EDT http://news.bcbsm.com/news/2010/news_2010-06-04-10586.shtml http://news.bcbsm.com/news/2010/news_2010-06-04-10586.shtml Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan's innovative Patient-Centered Medical Home program is meeting its goals for improved care and cost management. Preliminary data shows that PCMH-designated doctors are succeeding in managing their patients' care to keep them healthy and prevent complications that require expensive medical services to treat. newsroom@bcbsm.com (Media Relations) Fri, 4 Jun 2010 02:00:00 EDT http://news.bcbsm.com/news/2010/news_2010-05-13-11398.shtml http://news.bcbsm.com/news/2010/news_2010-05-13-11398.shtml Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, the University of Michigan and the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM), have selected 15 physician organizations working with 14 hospitals to participate in a statewide Michigan initiative to reduce preventable readmissions to the hospital and emergency room visits. newsroom@bcbsm.com (Media Relations) Thu, 13 May 2010 02:00:00 EDT http://news.bcbsm.com/news/2010/news_2010-04-08-15043.shtml http://news.bcbsm.com/news/2010/news_2010-04-08-15043.shtml A unique collaboration among Borgess Ambulatory Care, the University of Michigan Health System and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is using the Lean improvement process to decrease patient wait time, better coordinate patient care and increase patient satisfaction. newsroom@bcbsm.com (Media Relations) Thu, 8 Apr 2010 02:00:00 EDT http://www.bcbsm.com/pr/pr_01-28-2010_69433.shtml http://www.bcbsm.com/pr/pr_01-28-2010_69433.shtml The Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM), Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, and the University of Michigan announced that the three organizations will collaborate on a statewide initiative in Michigan to reduce preventable readmissions to the hospital and emergency room visits. newsroom@bcbsm.com (Media Relations) Thu, 28 Jan 2010 02:00:00 EDT http://www.valuepartnerships.com/pdf/CHRT_release_IssueBrief2_Cost_Burden_of_Disease.pdf http://www.valuepartnerships.com/pdf/CHRT_release_IssueBrief2_Cost_Burden_of_Disease.pdf Examining the reasons people end up in the hospital could point to opportunities for improving patient care and making the health care system more effective and efficient, according to an issue brief released today by the Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation (CHRT). newsroom@bcbsm.com (Media Relations) Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:00:00 EDT http://www.valuepartnerships.com/news20090820.shtml http://www.valuepartnerships.com/news20090820.shtml Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan's contributions to improve the quality of surgeries performed in Michigan were recognized with an award at the July Annual Conference of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP). newsroom@bcbsm.com (Media Relations) Fri, 14 Aug 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.valuepartnerships.com/news20090728.shtml http://www.valuepartnerships.com/news20090728.shtml National health care reform is the talk of Washington. And as businesses and individuals struggle with rising health care costs, and more Americans lose insurance coverage, there is increasing discussion about a government solution. newsroom@bcbsm.com (Media Relations) Tue, 28 Jul 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.valuepartnerships.com/news20090706.shtml http://www.valuepartnerships.com/news20090706.shtml Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan has designated more than 1,200 Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) physicians in roughly 145 communities across the state, making it the largest such initiative in the nation. newsroom@bcbsm.com (Media Relations) Mon, 6 Jul 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.valuepartnerships.com/news20092609.shtml http://www.valuepartnerships.com/news20092609.shtml Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) has announced an expansion of its commitment to patient safety and health care quality activities through a second $6 million, five-year investment in activities by the Michigan Health & Hospital Association (MHA) Keystone Center for Patient Safety & Quality. newsroom@bcbsm.com (Media Relations) Fri, 26 Jun 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.valuepartnerships.com/news20090609.shtml http://www.valuepartnerships.com/news20090609.shtml The radiation dose for a diagnostic scan of the heart and blood vessels was cut on average by more than half for almost 5,000 patients through a Michigan quality improvement project with no effect on image quality. Doctors and hospitals statewide have helped protect patients from the potential risks of radiation exposure as a result. newsroom@bcbsm.com (Media Relations) Tue, 9 Jun 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.valuepartnerships.com/news20090608.shtml http://www.valuepartnerships.com/news20090608.shtml Can better health care and cost savings go hand in hand? Michigan physicians and hospitals working together in collaborative quality initiatives (CQIs) sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and the Blue Care Network (BCBSM/BCN) are proving that collaboration is indeed a powerful model for saving both lives and dollars for patients throughout Michigan. newsroom@bcbsm.com (Media Relations) Mon, 8 Jun 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.valuepartnerships.com/news20090421.shtml http://www.valuepartnerships.com/news20090421.shtml Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan today announced plans to designate more than 1,000 physicians in its Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) program, making it the largest such program in the nation. These physicians represent close to 300 primary care practices, located across Michigan. The Michigan Blues PCMH program may affect close to 2 million Michigan residents, which makes this state a significant leader among national discussions and studies regarding the future of health care. newsroom@bcbsm.com (Media Relations) Tue, 21 Apr 2009 16:42:57 EDT http://www.valuepartnerships.com/news20090202.shtml http://www.valuepartnerships.com/news20090202.shtml A collaboration among the Michigan Society of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons (MSTCVS), Michigan hospitals and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) is facilitating improved outcomes in cardiac surgery and decreasing complications and costs in Michigan. newsroom@bcbsm.com (Media Relations) Mon, 02 Feb 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.valuepartnerships.com/news20080108.shtml http://www.valuepartnerships.com/news20080108.shtml Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan earned an eValue8 Health Plan Innovation Award from the Washington, D.C.-headquartered National Business Coalition on Health for the groundbreaking Value Partnerships program. The award recognizes the Blues' national leadership in collaborating on joint programs with physicians and hospitals that have led to improved health care for millions of Michigan residents, and enhanced health care value and efficiency. newsroom@bcbsm.com (Media Relations) Tue, 08 Jan 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.valuepartnerships.com/news20071113.shtml http://www.valuepartnerships.com/news20071113.shtml Ninety Michigan hospitals that participate in a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan program which measures and rewards hospitals for improving and providing optimal care to patients together achieved near perfect scores on two measures for treating patients suffering from heart attacks. Michigan hospitals were compared with the national average of hospitals around the country. newsroom@bcbsm.com (Media Relations) Tue, 13 Nov 2007 02:00:00 EDT http://www.valuepartnerships.com/news20060601.shtml http://www.valuepartnerships.com/news20060601.shtml Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan has launched a collaborative program of unprecedented scope by partnering with physician groups and hospitals to enhance health care in the state. Branded "Value Partnerships," the Blues expect the program to improve the quality and efficiency of health care delivered to more than 900,000 patients visiting their primary care or specialist physicians, and more than 100,000 Michigan patients undergoing certain major surgeries or procedures. newsroom@bcbsm.com (Media Relations) Thu, 01 Jun 2006 02:00:00 EDT