A message from Steve Anderson, vice president of Hospital Contracting & Network Administration Our partnerships with doctors, hospitals helps keep insurance rates down Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is filing individual market rates for 2020 that show a decrease from 2019 rates. Read more.
Study: Reducing unnecessary imaging in ERs could save millions of dollars A study published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine found that Michigan hospitals could avoid more than $3.8 million in costs annually by cutting down on unnecessary imaging tests in the emergency room. Read more.
Our history is rooted in partnering with doctors, hospitals Eighty years ago, what is now Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan was founded by doctors and hospitals to provide families with affordable, prepaid insurance plans for medical care. Read more.
Star and HEDIS tip sheets: Useful tools for improving health care quality We’ve updated our HEDIS® tip sheets* for 2019 and posted them on the Clinical Quality Corner page of web-DENIS, along with a series of 15 Star Measure Tips. Read more.
Mental health awareness
A message from Dr. William Beecroft Suicides and suicide attempts among young people show a disturbing trend In a column in this newsletter a year ago, I wrote about how suicide deaths have climbed dramatically in the U.S. over the past 15 years. Read more.
September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month Each year, more than 41,000 individuals die by suicide, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. That’s why NAMI has designated September as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. Read more.
Mind-body connection
Guest column from Ewa Matuszewski, CEO of MedNetOne Health Solutions A beacon of behavioral health integration shines brightly in Warren While it’s long been in MedNetOne’s DNA to seek out community partners that meet the needs of a particular patient population, I’d like to thank Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan for fostering its decade-long Patient-Centered Medical Home initiative through the Physician Group Incentive Program. Read more.
Guest column from Kenneth L. Salzman, Ph.D., licensed psychologist What role can behavioral health play in improving medication compliance?
Patients receiving medications often grapple with one or more of the following issues.Read more.
Other news and information
Gala supports Parkinson’s research Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan kicked off 2019 by joining the Kirk Gibson Foundation for Parkinson’s and the Michigan Parkinson Foundation for a yearlong awareness and fundraising campaign to support additional clinical research toward a cure for Parkinson’s. Read more.
In brief: Mental illness, diabetes, behavioral health and the opioid epidemic We’re bringing you information about these four key topics. Read more.
Connecting with Blue Cross leaders on LinkedIn Over the past few issues, we’ve been inviting you to connect with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan leaders on LinkedIn. Here’s a list of leaders we’ve featured previously, and links to their profiles. Read more.
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