DETROIT, Aug. 8 MI-BCBS-cancer-care
DETROIT, Aug. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 180 oncologists in 11 physician
groups across the state are partnering with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
to gather data to improve care for cancer patients in Michigan.
The oncologists are submitting information to a national database
established by the American Society of Clinical Oncology to help physicians
identify what works best in cancer care. BCBSM is providing funding to defray
data collection costs and to encourage physician participation.
Michigan physician organizations with specialists participating in ASCO's
Quality Oncology Practice Initiative(R) will be eligible for additional
payments from BCBSM for submitting cancer care treatment data to the national
registry and using that data to compare their practices with those nationally,
as well as for implementing improvements that lead to improved quality,
coordination and efficiency in treating cancer patients.
The number of Michigan physicians participating in the oncology database
is the largest of any state. The Michigan oncologists treat an estimated
16,000 cancer patients annually.
The Quality Oncology Practice Initiative is one of a series of quality
improvement initiatives underway between BCBSM, hospitals and/or physician
groups. Other BCBSM quality improvement initiatives with hospitals or
physician groups have been launched in the areas of angioplasty, bariatric
surgery, cardiac imaging, general/vascular surgery, cardiac surgery and breast
cancer treatment under a statewide, multi-year program called Value
Partnerships.
"Blue Cross and physician groups believe this program has tremendous
potential for improving care for thousands of cancer patients. The
improvements we make can spread throughout the health system in Michigan and
beyond," said Thomas Simmer, M.D., senior vice president and chief medical
officer for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
The information being collected includes chemotherapy planning,
chemotherapy-related side effects, pain assessment and control, and specific
measures related to the management of colon and rectal cancer, non-Hodgkin's
lymphoma and lung cancer (non-small cell).
"ASCO is pleased that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is recognizing
physician practices that commit to quality assessment and improvement through
participation in QOPI," said Allen Lichter, M.D., ASCO's chief executive
officer. "As an oncologist-led program, QOPI promotes excellence in cancer
care by helping practices create a culture of self-examination and
improvement."
"This initiative is a valuable resource for all cancer specialists who
treat cancer patients in Michigan because it promotes the sharing of best
practices," said Robert Chapman, M.D., director of the Josephine Ford Cancer
Center at Henry Ford. Chapman is co-leading Michigan's Quality Oncology
Practice Initiative with BCBSM. "It's the first time that such a large and
coordinated effort in a single state is using a national database to promote
excellence in cancer care and, at the same time, rewarding physicians for
these improvement efforts."
The following 11 physician organizations are participating in the Quality
Oncology Practice Initiative with BCBSM:
Southeastern Michigan - Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Health System,
Faculty Group Practice; Bingham Farms: United Physicians; Dearborn: United
Oakwood Providers (UOP); Detroit: Henry Ford Medical Group; Royal Oak:
Oncology Physician Resource (OPR); Quality Partners of Michigan; Warren: St.
John HealthPartners; Waterford: Oakland Physician Network Services.
Mid-Michigan - East Lansing: Michigan State University Health Team;
Sparrow Family Medical Services.
West Michigan - Battle Creek: Integrated Health Partners.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a nonprofit organization, provides and
administers health benefits to 4.7 million members residing in Michigan in
addition to members of Michigan-headquartered groups who reside outside the
state. The company offers a broad variety of plans including: Traditional Blue
Cross Blue Shield; Blue Preferred, Community Blue and Healthy Blue Incentives
PPOs; Blue Care Network HMO; BCN Healthy Blue Living; Flexible Blue plans
compatible with health savings accounts; Medicare Advantage; Part D
Prescription Drug plans, and MyBlue products in the under-age-65 individual
market. 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 company information, visit bcbsm.com .
The Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI(R)) is a physician-led
quality improvement program of the American Society of Clinical Oncology for
medical oncology practices. Practices participating in QOPI abstract medical
records, submit data to a central database, and receive reports containing
practice-specific data and national comparison data. Designation of an
oncology practice or practitioner as a "QOPI participant" indicates that the
practice has successfully completed QOPI data collection and received at least
one data report. More information about QOPI, including the 50 plus quality
measures assessed through the program, is available at www.asco.org/QOPI .
QOPI is a registered trademark of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
SOURCE Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
