Blue Cross | Blue Shield | Blue Care Network of Michigan

Group of doctors and business people

Hospital and Physician Update

March – April 2020

Videos feature CQI success stories

Our Collaborative Quality Initiatives are addressing many of the most common and costly areas of surgical and medical care in Michigan. Hospitals and physicians across the state work together to collect, share and analyze data on patient risk factors, processes of care and outcomes of care. They then design and implement changes to improve patient care.

To illustrate a few of our CQI success stories, we’ve developed some new videos, which we’ve posted on BlueprintforAffordability.com. Here are highlights of three of them:

Tackling the opioid epidemic

Dr. Michael Englesbe, a transplant surgeon at the University of Michigan, describes how he and surgeons across the state worked together — using data from the general surgery CQI — to develop better practices for post-surgical pain management. Their efforts included new opioid prescribing guidelines for many common surgical procedures. To see the video and read the blog, click here.

Recovering from knee and hip replacements

By studying the data it collected, the Michigan Arthroplasty Registry CQI discovered that home-based recovery after knee and hip replacements can be very successful. Phyllis St. Michael, one patient who received a double hip replacement, shares her story of how home‑based recovery worked for her. To see the video and read the blog, click here.

Giving patients a voice

In six of our CQIs, patients serve as active members of the project team. Patient participation helps doctors better understand how their practice patterns affect what patients experience. In addition, patients bring fresh ideas and insights that the project teams can consider and study. To learn how one patient with cancer has helped to improve the patient experience by sharing her observations, click here.

Twitter Facebook A Healthier Michigan MI Blues Perspective

No portion of this publication may be copied without the express written permission of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, except that BCBSM participating health care providers may make copies for their personal use. In no event may any portion of this publication be copied or reprinted and used for commercial purposes by any party other than BCBSM.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network are nonprofit corporations and independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.