New approaches help improve health outcomes and reduce costs
DETROIT, March 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Michigan doctors will discuss
challenges faced by primary care providers and present new, successful ways
they provide primary care in a three-hour forum sponsored by Blue Cross
Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network for health care
professionals. "The Future of Primary Care: How Primary Care Can Transform
Health Care Delivery" begins at 2 p.m. on Thursday, March 22 at the Blues'
Lyon Meadows Conference Center in New Hudson.
"A few Michigan physician groups and others are redefining primary care
in an environment of collaboration," said Thomas Simmer, M.D., BCBSM senior
vice president and chief medical officer who will open the conference. "We
want the forum to help raise awareness of new approaches which are
transforming primary care delivery from acute, episodic care to long-term,
patient-centered care."
"The primary care system has a key role in preventive and chronic care
management and is therefore central to improving health care outcomes and
reducing health care costs," Simmer said. "The forum is an adjunct to Blues
programs like Value Partnerships and BCN's Physician Recognition and Blue
Rewards programs that recognize the value of primary care by providing
incentives to physician groups for enhanced delivery of patient care."
Presenters and their physician organizations' state-of-the-art
initiatives are:
-- Paul Harkaway, M.D. and president, Huron Valley Physician
Association, P.C. -- Advanced Medical Home Integrated Model. The Advanced
Medical Home is an approach to improve health care by strengthening
patient-physician relationships. It's distinguished by more "hands-on"
management by physicians and increased involvement by patients. Physicians
meet patient needs through chronic disease management programs,
evidenced-based guidelines, health information technology and best
practices, all based on the chronic care model. HVPA's 800 physicians
primarily are affiliated with St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor.
-- Kevin Taylor, M.D. and medical director, Huron Valley Physician
Association, P.C. -- Group Medical Appointments. A group medical
appointment is a customized meeting of patients, their doctor and a
behavioral health professional. The model's benefit is that patients often
are more willing to talk in a group medical appointment than in an
individual appointment. More issues can be covered, more health problems
addressed, and patients more effectively can be engaged in self-care using
this approach.
-- Ewa Matuszewski, executive director, Medical Network One, P.C. --
Chronic Care Travel Team. This physician organization, based in Rochester
Hills, uses an 18-member travel team to provide patients with one-on-one
self- management support and telephone check-ins to augment a patient's
regular visits with the primary care doctor. The team includes nurses,
dietitians, diabetes educators, exercise specialists and mental health
professionals.
Other presenters include Diane Whiton, R.N., project coordinator,
Michigan Primary Care Consortium, Michigan Department of Community Health.
This group of private physicians and MDCH professionals aims to remove
system barriers that prevent effective delivery of prevention services and
chronic disease management in primary care settings.
Also scheduled are Robert Jackson, M.D. and medical director, Medical
Advantage Group; Elaine McIntosh, R.N., and director of Nurse-Managed
Centers, University of Michigan School of Nursing; Dennis Paradis,
executive director, Michigan Osteopathic Association, and Philip Zazove,
M.D. and professor, University of Michigan Department of Family Medicine.
To register for the forum, health care professionals may call
800-921-8980 or e-mail jlance@bcbsm.com. Registration is first come, first
served.
The March 22 forum is the sixth in a series on emerging health care
issues hosted by the Blues since 2002 to foster sharing of best practices.
Past public forums focused on emergency care, computerized tomography
angiography (heart scans), virtual colonoscopy, nasal vaccines for
influenza and digital mammography.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a nonprofit corporation, provides
or administers health care benefits to just over 4.7 million members
through a variety of plans: Traditional Blue Cross Blue Shield; Blue
Preferred, Community Blue and Healthy Blue PPOs; Blue Care Network HMO, and
Flexible Blue plans compatible with health savings accounts. Blue Cross
Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network are nonprofit corporations
and independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
For more information, visit http://www.bcbsm.com .
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SOURCE Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
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Related links:
http://www.bcbsm.com
CONTACT:
Helen Stojic, +1-313-225-8113, or Linda Lyles
Daniels, +1-313-225-8121, both of Blue Cross Blue Shield of
Michigan
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