In brief

Cancer death rate in U.S. falls for 25^th straight year
Since a high in the early 1990s, the U.S. death rate from cancer has been on the decline, according to a report from the American Cancer Society. But obesity-related cancer deaths are rising, and cancer remains the nation’s No. 2 killer. To read the full story from the Associated Press, click here.

Study: Nearly half of Americans have heart disease
Nearly half of U.S. adults have some form of cardiovascular disease, according to a study by the American Heart Association. As of 2016, 121.5 million Americans, or about 48.5 percent, dealt with heart or blood vessel disease. For more about the findings, see the article in USA Today.

More about heart disease... MIBluesPerspectives.com, a resource for health information for businesses, members and the general public, recently posted two blogs about heart disease: one on chronic conditions and heart disease and one on women and heart disease. You may want to check them out and share with your patients.

Hypertension remains difficult to diagnose
More than 70 million Americans have high blood pressure or hypertension, according to the Blue Cross Blue Shield Health Index^SM. Many people don’t realize they have hypertension because the symptoms often don’t appear until patients experience a significant health crisis. That makes identifying, treating and preventing the disease a challenge. To learn more, click here.

Organized systems of care invited to join PGIP
From April 1 through April 30, 2019, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan will accept applications from new organized systems of care that are interested in joining the Physician Group Incentive Program. Organized systems of care are communities of caregivers with a shared commitment to quality and cost-effective health care delivery for a defined population. For more details on joining PGIP, click here.

Schools, health centers get $30 million in state mental health funding
School mental health services are expected to benefit from new money the Legislature appropriated last year to address unmet needs at more than 1,500 schools, Crain’s Detroit Business reported Feb. 4. The funding was approved following a year that saw a number of mass shootings in schools nationally. To read more, click here.

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