Physicians, hospitals, Blues work to reduce readmissions
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, the University of Michigan and the Society of Hospital Medicine have selected 14 physician organizations working with 13 hospitals to participate in a statewide initiative to reduce preventable readmissions to the hospital and emergency room visits. The initiative, called "Michigan Transitions of Care Collaborative," is based on the Society of Hospital Medicine’s Project BOOST (Better Outcomes for Older Adults through Safer Transitions) model. The initiative involves training and mentoring to help physician organizations and hospitals develop, implement and measure programs that reduce patient readmissions to the hospital within 30 days of discharge.

Participating physician organizations and their affiliated hospitals include:

Physician Organization
Beaumont Physicians Organization
Bronson Medical Group
CIPA
Greater Macomb PHO
Henry Ford Medical Group
HVPA
Integrated Health Associates
Medical Network One
Physician Care Network
Primary Healthcare Partners Inc. (Covenant)
Professional Medical Corp.
RDN West Michigan (Metro Health PHO)
Sparrow Medical Group
University of Michigan Health System

Hospital
William Beaumont Hospital – Royal Oak
Bronson Methodist Hospital, Kalamazoo
Pontiac Osteopathic Hospital
Clinton Township Hospital
Henry Ford Hospital West Bloomfield
St. Joseph Mercy Hospital – Ann Arbor
St. Joseph Mercy Hospital – Ann Arbor
Crittenton Hospital Medical Center – Rochester
Port Huron Hospital
Covenant Medical Center – Saginaw
Hurley Hospital
Metro Health Hospital – Byron Center
Sparrow Hospital
University of Michigan Hospital – Ann Arbor

Unplanned readmissions to the hospital are costly and preventable, draining the resources, time and energy of the patient, primary care physician and hospital. Research in the April 2009 New England Journal of Medicine indicates that one in five hospitalized patients is readmitted to the hospital within a month of discharge.

Nationally, unplanned readmissions cost Medicare $17.4 billion each year, making estimates about the total cost even higher.

“We expect this initiative to have a positive impact on improving the way providers and hospitals transition patients to outpatient settings,” says Christopher Kim, M.D., M.B.A., S.F.H.M., hospitalist at the University of Michigan and director of the statewide collaborative program on transitions of care.

If you would like to learn more about the Society of Hospital Medicine, please visit hospitalmedicine.org.*

*The Blues do not control this website or endorse its general content.