Partnerships Report Highlights How Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Physicians and Hospitals Are Working to Save Lives, Improve Care, Re...( Value Partnerships MHA Keystone a...),Health

Value Partnerships, MHA Keystone and other initiatives are featured

DETROIT, March 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Physicians and other health care professionals provide an inside look at how groundbreaking partnerships among physicians, hospitals and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan are saving lives, improving patient care and reducing costs in a newly published partnerships report from the Blues.

"These partnerships demonstrate the powerful, positive impact created by hospitals, physicians and the Blues to truly transform health care in Michigan," said Daniel J. Loepp, Blues president and CEO. "We thank all of our participating hospitals, physicians and other health care partners for joining us on this important journey."

Titled "Partners in Health Care: 2008 Partnerships Update," the report highlights several areas of partnerships: Value Partnerships -- innovative collaborations among physicians, hospitals and the Blues to improve health care quality, value and efficiency; work under way through the Michigan Health & Hospital Association Keystone Center; activities supporting free health care clinics in the state, and technology partnerships aimed at making administrative functions more efficient.

Several partnership initiatives have earned acclaim -- most recently from the National Business Coalition on Health -- for providing a health care industry model for partnerships with up-front feedback and collaboration from physicians, nurses and hospitals.

"The partnership model in place enables participating hospitals, physician groups and other health care professionals to work together to achieve better, more affordable health care," said Thomas Simmer, M.D., BCBSM senior vice president and chief medical officer. "We know many health plans have pay-for- performance programs. But we don't know any that has instituted a model where doctors and hospitals drive the design and execution of programs with the scope and statewide impact as th
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