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Advanced Cardiac Imaging Consortium Collaborative Quality Initiative (ACIC CQI)

The ACIC CQI is a health care quality improvement initiative sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM), to study the use of Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography (CCTA), a promising, noninvasive technology that could possibly replace conventional cardiac catheterization in the future. CCTA uses contrast materials in the arteries and high-resolution CT machinery to obtain detailed images of the heart and the heart's blood vessels.


William Beaumont Hospital is coordinating the program with data provided by participating providers in the Advanced Cardiovascular Imaging Consortium. The ACIC is a group of providers charged with developing and monitoring the best uses, techniques and interpretation of CCTA. The Michigan Blues are funding the program. The ACIC will provide administrative, logistic, statistical and analytical support for the program.


New coverage provided

  • Who is eligible to receive Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) or Blue Care Network (BCN) reimbursement payments?
    Eligible members must be enrolled in BCBSM's PPO/POS TRUST Products or in BCN's HMO product. In addition, the member is required to go to a facility participating in the ACIC CQI. If you are not aware of whether your facility is participating, please contact the BCBSM ACIC Project Administrator, Marc Cohen, at mcohen@bcbsm.com or 248-448-6107 to determine your facility's participation eligibility.
  • Which BCBSM plans do not provide reimbursement payments for CCTA?
    At this time, CCTA Procedures are not covered benefits for Traditional plans and some self-funded PPO/POS/HMO employer groups that in the process of evaluating the technology (e.g., GM, Delphi, Continental, and MPSERS). CCTA for Medicare Advantage – MA PPO – patients are excluded from the CQI, and are pre-authorized and paid based on CMS guidelines. In addition, CCTA is currently covered for Ford employees nationwide and Chrysler employees as that have CCTA services performed at ACIC CQI participating sites.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan funding helps consortium providers collect and report data to a central database to document the use of CCTA. Analyses of the data can lead to developing best practice guidelines for providers and start a continuous quality improvement program in cardiovascular imaging. Each participating consortium group will be able to compare its data with aggregate performance data from all groups in the study. Aggregate data is used in the study; individual data is kept confidential. Learn more about CCTA.


Since the program's launch in 2007, preliminary findings showed that radiation exposure among patients receiving cardiac CT procedures at participating centers was reduced by 52 percent by end of 12 months from 25 mSv in 15 original sites to 11 mSv by June 2008 with no change in image quality. The Coordinating Center continues to work with CT technology leader to further reduce radiation dose. At the same time, the findings showed that 18 percent of patients undergoing the procedure were found to be without symptoms. The Coordinating Center is in the process of analyzing practice pattern variation in regard to this cohort of patients. A clinical champion is working with participating centers to develop relevant clinical algorithm and related CME presentations for dissemination by participating center clinical leads throughout the Consortium.


CCTA Program Standards



CCTA participating facilities

Consortium Hospitals

(subject to change):

  • Bay Regional Medical Center, Bay City
  • Borgess Medical Center, Kalamazoo
  • Bronson Hospital, Kalamazoo
  • Chippewa County War Memorial Hospital, Sault Ste. Marie
  • Covenant Medical Center, Saginaw
  • Crittenton Hospital Medical Center, Rochester
  • DMC Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital, Commerce
  • Garden City Hospital, Garden City
  • Hackley Hospital, Muskegon
  • Harper University Hospital, Detroit
  • Henry Ford Cottage Hospital, Grosse Point Farms
  • Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit
  • Henry Ford Macomb Hospital, Clinton Township
  • Henry Ford Macomb Hospital, Warren Campus
  • Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital, West Bloomfield
  • Henry Ford Wyandotte Hosptial, Wyandotte
  • Hillsdale Community Health Center, Hillsdale
  • Lapeer Regional Medical Center, Lapeer
  • Marquette General Health System, Marquette
  • McLaren Regional Medical Center, Flint
  • Mercy Memorial Hospital, Monroe
  • Mount Clemens Regional Medical Center, Mount Clemens
  • North Ottawa Community Hospital, Grand Haven
  • Northern Michigan Hospital, Petoskey
  • Oakwood Annapolis Hospital, Wayne
  • Oakwood Heritage Hospital in Taylor
  • Oakwood Hospital & Medical Center, Dearborn
  • Oakwood Southshore Medical Center, Trenton
  • Pontiac Osteopathic Hospital, Pontiac
  • Sparrow Hospital, Lansing
  • St. John Hospital & Medical Center, Detroit
  • St. John Macomb-Oakland Hospital, Warren and Madison Heights
  • St. John Providence Hospital, Southfield
  • St. Joseph Hospital, Tawas City
  • St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Ann Arbor
  • St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Oakland, Pontiac
  • University of Michigan Hospital, Ann Arbor
  • West Branch Regional Medical Center, West Branch
  • William Beaumont Hospital, Grosse Point
  • William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak
  • William Beaumont Hospital, Troy

Consortium Physician Groups

(subject to change):

  • Michigan Heart & Vascular Institute, Ann Arbor
  • Imaging Center of Berkley and Imaging Center of West Bloomfield (formerly HealthFirst Imaging)
  • Southgate Radiology and Southgate CT, Southgate
  • West Michigan Cardiology, Grand Rapids
  • Premier Medical Imaging, Flint