MVC Coordinating Center -

25 Feb 2026

Cardiac Rehabilitation Awareness Week Spotlighted Resources and Tools Improving Cardiac Rehab Enrollment

February 25, 2026 | 0 Comments | Cardiac Rehab, cardiac rehabilitation, CHF, Michigan Cardiac Rehabilitation Network, MiCR, MVC Coordinating Center

MVC and BMC2 took to LinkedIn recently to celebrate Cardiac Rehab Awareness Week, spotlighting the importance of cardiac rehabilitation for patients recovering from cardiovascular events. MVC and BMC2 collaborate to lead the Michigan Cardiac Rehab network (MiCR) and its related offerings. Across multiple posts, both teams highlighted stories, tools, collaborations, and insights designed to support providers, patients, and programs working to improve cardiac rehab outcomes in Michigan.

One of the central themes of the week was the voice of the patient. MiCR shared the first completed patient story from a new storytelling initiative called Heart-to-Heart, developed with the Healthy Behavior Optimization for Michigan (HBOM) team. This initiative amplifies real patient experiences, bringing to light why cardiac rehab matters — not just clinically, but personally — for those considering participation. Cardiac rehab week marked the launch of the first available patient story about a patient named Margaret from Covenant Healthcare.

Cardiac Rehab Week also offered opportunities for networking and knowledge exchange. MVC hosted a virtual cardiac rehab workgroup [view video] focused on optimizing congestive heart failure (CHF) follow-up and increasing rehab enrollment in this especially vulnerable patient population. Featuring panelists from Corewell Health, Holland Hospital, Michigan Medicine, MyMichigan Health, and University of Michigan Health-Sparrow, this session highlighted real-world strategies and insights for improving care transitions and referral practices.

Throughout the week, both organizations also shared posts featuring practical tools to strengthen cardiac rehab engagement, such as:

NewBeat Resources: BMC2 highlighted NewBeat materials — engaging, evidence-based education and referral tools designed to help care teams talk with patients about the benefits of cardiac rehab and support meaningful discussions that lead to enrollment (Figure 1). A new round of no-cost printing for MiCR sites was announced, offering flexible, ready-to-use materials that programs can request.
Cardiac Rehab Center Finder: Knowing “where to go” is a crucial earliest step. MVC and BMC2 reinforced the MichiganCR.org searchable directory that allows patients and providers to locate nearby rehab programs. This simple tool reduces a key barrier to engagement by connecting patients with access points across Michigan.
Resource Library Spotlight: The MiCR Resource Library was featured as a one-stop hub for tools — from evidence-based products to collaborative resources developed with partners throughout the state — supporting both providers and patients as they plan, refer, and participate in cardiac rehab sessions.

Recognizing the evolving landscape of cardiac rehabilitation delivery, MiCR also took the opportunity to highlight its newest strategic efforts throughout cardiac rehab week, including its explorations into the role of telehealth in cardiac rehab as well as medication management opportunities. Updates on these efforts and more were summarized and linked in a summary blog to the MiCR website. To learn more, read the MiCR summary.

As the week wrapped, the MiCR teams thanked everyone for their role in advancing cardiac rehab throughout Michigan, and invited their active participation going forward—either by trying a MiCR tool in their daily work or sharing their experiences and stories. As MiCR continues its work, the momentum from this week sets the stage for meaningful improvement in patient outcomes and program engagement statewide.

04 Feb 2026

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January Workgroups Highlight Using Claims Data to Drive Sepsis QI and Reducing SSIs Through Multidisciplinary Collaboration

February 4, 2026 | 0 Comments | MVC Coordinating Center, mvc data, MVC registry, MVC workgroup, sepsis

In January, Michigan Value Collaborative (MVC) kicked off the 2026 workgroup calendar with a sepsis workgroup focused on helping members better understand how to use claims-based data to support sepsis quality improvement (QI) efforts. The session featured an overview of sepsis-related reporting available on the MVC registry followed by an example of how custom analytic reports can be used to dig deeper into areas of clinical interest. The second workgroup of the month, a health in action presentation, featured Corewell Health Farmington Hills Hospital’s multi-year QI initiative aimed at reducing surgical site infections (SSIs) in colorectal surgery. The MVC Coordinating Center hosts one to two workgroup presentations per month covering a variety of topics including post-discharge follow-up, sepsis, cardiac rehabilitation, rural health, preoperative testing, and health in action.

Sepsis Workgroup – MVC Coordinating Center

The workgroup opened with a presentation by MVC’s Site Engagement Coordinator Rachel Folk, MHA, who walked participants through the types of sepsis related data available in the MVC registry and how members can use these reports to support local QI initiatives. The presentation emphasized that MVC’s claims-based data registry allows members to examine sepsis episodes of care across multiple payers and care settings, providing a broader view of healthcare utilization and outcomes than many internal data sources alone.

Participants were introduced to several registry reports that are particularly relevant to sepsis analysis, including:

Episode Payments Report, which shows total, price-standardized payments for 30- or 90-day episodes and can be used as a proxy for assessments of utilization across inpatient, professional, post-acute, and readmission services.
Episode Utilization Rates Report, which breaks down where patients receive care during and after an episode, such as skilled nursing facilities, home health, inpatient rehabilitation, or emergency department visits.
Readmissions Report, which allows members to explore readmission rates for patients by time interval and whether patients return to the index hospital or are readmitted elsewhere.
Comorbidities Report, which highlights common coexisting conditions among patients and supports a deeper understanding of patient complexity.
Payment by Condition Report, which compares case volume and utilization across conditions and helps contextualize sepsis relative to other medical episodes.

The presentation also included a review of sepsis-related Pay for Performance (P4P) reports available in the MVC registry including a Value Metric Summary Report and Value Metric Trends Report, which allow users to assess their current performance, improvement and achievement baselines and trends over time (Figures 1 and 2). Folk explained how these reports can help teams visualize progress relative to peer hospitals and MVC-wide averages.

Throughout the presentation, Folk additionally highlighted key registry features such as filtering by hospital type, payer, episode length, patient demographics, and episode time frame. She also reviewed case suppression thresholds and reminded participants that MVC’s data are risk adjusted, allowing for fairer comparisons across hospitals with differing patient populations.

Using Claims Data to Support Improvement

A recurring theme of the discussion was the importance of approaching the registry with curiosity. Participants were encouraged to consider the “five W’s” when reviewing their data and to use the available benchmarking opportunities to compare their hospital’s performance against similar hospitals to help identify realistic opportunities for improvement.

Polling during the session revealed that many participants had limited or no prior experience with an MVC registry review. Registry reviews are a dedicated opportunity for MVC staff to walk members through their site-specific data, focusing on the reports and metrics most relevant to their individual goals. These reviews can help teams move beyond high-level trends to more actionable questions about variation, utilization, and outcomes.

If you’re interested in setting up a time to complete a registry review, please email MVC.

Applying Custom Analytics to Sepsis Care

The workgroup concluded with a second presentation by MVC Analyst Janet Zhang, MPH, highlighting how custom analytic reports can be used to explore specific questions not fully addressed by standard registry reports. Using a recent example focused on sepsis patients and the impact of palliative care, Zang demonstrated how tailored analyses can provide deeper insight into care patterns, outcomes, and opportunities for improvement.

MVC encourages members interested in deeper analyses via custom report to submit a request through the Coordinating Center [Link].

Health in Action Workgroup – Corewell Health Farmington Hills Hospital

MVC’s second workgroup of January featured Jennifer Hengy, BSN, RN, Internal Quality Improvement Specialist, Dr. Eugene Laveroni, Chief of Surgery, and Leslie Smith, RPh, JD, BCPS, BCIDP, Clinical Pharmacist Specialist from Corewell Health Farmington Hills. Together they showcased how a multidisciplinary team used data, evidence-based guidelines, and workflow redesign to drive meaningful improvements in patients’ safety by reducing SSIs in colorectal surgery.

SSIs remain a significant source of patient harm and financial penalty for hospitals nationwide. Despite advances in sterile technique and surgical technology, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continue to show SSIs occur at alarming rates. As Hengy explained, their local data mirrored this challenge with an SSI rate of 9.6% in colorectal surgeries in 2023. This signaled an urgent need for targeted improvement. For Farmington Hills, this started with building the right team.

Building a Team

The initial improvement committee included surgical leadership, quality improvement specialists, pharmacy, nursing education, and anesthesia, with additional stakeholders added as new insights emerged. This diverse group ensured that clinical expertise, frontline workers, and data review were all represented throughout the project. Another key principle of the initiative was fostering a non-punitive culture. Chart reviews and peer discussion focused on learning and system improvement rather than individual blame, helping to sustain engagement across disciplines.

The Discovery Phase: Identifying Key Gaps

The discovery phase proved to be the most challenging but ultimately the most impactful, Hengy shared. The team conducted detailed chart reviews of SSI cases to better understand contributing factors, examining elements including:

Use of clean closing gloves, gowns, and closing packs
Skin preparation and closure techniques
Antibiotic selection, timing, and infusion duration
Documentation of infections present at the time of surgery (or PATOS)

Early interventions focused on education about documentation, standardized closing packs, and surgical techniques. While these steps led to modest improvements, they did not produce the level of change the team was seeking so they turned to the experts in antibiotics.

Optimizing Antibiotic Selection and Timing

A deeper dive into perioperative antibiotic practices at Farmington Hills revealed variability in both the antibiotics chosen and their infusion timing. The team identified frequent use of second-line antibiotics in patients with reported penicillin allergies, as well as inconsistencies ensuring antibiotics were fully infused prior to surgical incision.

Smith, a clinical pharmacist specializing in antimicrobial stewardship and a member of Corewell Health Farmington Hills’ SSI workgroup explained that cefazolin remains the preferred first-line prophylactic antibiotic for colorectal surgery and can be safely administered to most patients with reported penicillin allergies. Pharmacy-led education highlighted Cefazolin’s uniquely low risk of cross-reactivity and proven lower SSI rates compared to non-beta-lactam alternatives. Education was delivered through multiple channels, including surgical quality meetings, residents and provider training, newsletters, and real-time feedback to reinforce adherence to standardized protocols.

In addition, the team redesigned workflows to address infusion timing. New processes ensured that antibiotics requiring longer infusion times were started earlier in the preoperative phase. The use of visual job aids, memory tools, and Omnicell alerts reinforced these changes at the point of care (Figures 3 and 4).

14 Jan 2026

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MVC Welcomes Faculty Advisor and Physician Ryan Howard

January 14, 2026 | 0 Comments | MVC, MVC Coordinating Center

I am so excited to be joining the Michigan Value Collaborative as a Senior Faculty Advisor. I’ve worked closely with the Collaborative Quality Initiatives for the last decade and am thrilled to continue that work in this new role!

By way of introduction, I am a surgeon and healthcare researcher at the University of Michigan. I am Maize and Blue through and through, having completed my undergrad, medical school, residency, and fellowship at the University of Michigan. My clinical practice focuses on bariatric and hernia surgery, and I also specialize in comprehensive obesity treatment with medications and other non-surgical options. What I love most about my practice is partnering with patients to help them accomplish their goals and live their life to the fullest.

My research focuses on studying the quality and safety of surgical care. My passion is taking what we discover through research and turning it into real-world improvements for our patients. To that end, I conduct studies that identify opportunities to improve care, then I use those findings to inform quality improvement efforts to make those changes a reality. My research has explored post-operative opioid prescribing, abdominal wall hernia repair, and long-term health changes after bariatric surgery. I’ve also written a lot about the Collaborative Quality Initiatives, which really demonstrate what you can accomplish through statewide collaboration and partnership.

The Michigan Value Collaborative is such a critical engine for translating our research into real-world improvements for patient care, and I could not be happier to join such a talented and dedicated team. In my role at MVC, I’ll be engaged in studying the quality of surgical care in Michigan, collaborating on quality improvement initiatives, and helping identify new ways to enhance the care we deliver to patients.

I’m truly looking forward to the work ahead and to contributing to MVC’s mission of driving high-value, patient-centered care across the state.

07 Jan 2026

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December Workgroups Highlight RITE-Size Preoperative Testing and MVC Year End Reflections and Goals

January 7, 2026 | 0 Comments | MVC Coordinating Center, MVC workgroup, preoperative testing, quality improvement

In December, Michigan Value Collaborative’s (MVC) preoperative testing workgroup featured a co-presentation by Kelly Lewton, RN, BSN, Performance Improvement Coordinator for Lake Huron Medical Center, and Nicole Mott, MD, MSCR, a National Clinician Scholar at the University of Michigan supported by the Veterans Administration and a general surgery resident at the University of Colorado. The presentation focused on the Right-Sizing Testing Before Elective Surgery (RITE-Size) trial; Dr. Mott was the lead author on a recently published paper in JAMA Network Open that described the components and impact of the trial, and Lewton shared her first-hand experience as the lead during Lake Huron Medical Center’s participation in the trial. RITE-Size works with hospitals to identify and right-size testing before elective surgery procedures. The second workgroup, health in action, featured MVC Site Engagement Coordinator Emily Bair, MS, MPH, RDN, CSP, and the Engagement team and focused on a year in review of quality initiatives across MVC members. The MVC Coordinating Center hosts one to two workgroup presentations per month covering a variety of topics including post-discharge follow-up, sepsis, cardiac rehabilitation, rural health, preoperative testing, and health in action.

Preoperative Testing Workgroup - RITE-Size & Lake Huron Medical Center

The RITE-Size trial is a partnership among quality improvement teams in Michigan including the Michigan Program on Value Enhancement (MPrOVE), the MVC Coordinating Center, the Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative (MSQC), and the Anesthesiology Performance Improvement and Reporting Exchange (ASPIRE). Dr. Mott shared that the goal for RITE-Size participants is to lower unnecessary preoperative testing before elective outpatient cholecystectomy, inguinal hernia repair, and lumpectomy. Routine preoperative testing before these low-risk surgeries has shown no clinical benefit to the patient but has led to multiple downstream consequences such as increased spending, care cascades, and treatment delays (Dossett & Wilkinson, 2022).

Dr. Mott described that RITE-Size launched a pilot feasibility study in March 2024 at three hospitals in Michigan. The study aimed to meet criteria in several areas such as feasibility (implementation in the appropriate amount of time), testing rates (reduction), and acceptability and appropriateness (results from interviews). By August 2024, the desired milestones had been achieved, showing a 68% reduction in unnecessary testing at all participating sites (Figure 1).

Some barriers that impacted the study included lack of clarity about guidelines, a need for ongoing education due to the automated nature of testing processes, and coordination across a large healthcare system and/or within the limitations of institutional rules. Elements that led to success included strong leadership through key collaborators, incorporation of the initiative into policy, self-monitoring throughout, and team cohesiveness and communication. The pilot's success allowed RITE-Size to expand to other sites across Michigan.

Lewton from Lake Huron Medical Center (LHMC) followed the RITE-size presentation sharing first-hand experience of participating with the initiative in 2025. She described the site onboarding process, which included a RITE-Size site visit in July 2025 where her team worked with Dana Greene, Jr., Project Manager at MPrOVE, to discuss LHMC interventions and progress over the duration of the program and to schedule ongoing coaching sessions (Figure 2). After investigating preoperative testing rates, LHMC found that their biggest outlier was electrocardiograms (EKGs) ordered by a particular surgeon.

After the site visit, the lead anesthesiologist met with the surgeon, and they discovered he had been given outdated testing guidelines when he onboarded. With this discovery, their team was able to review their testing guidelines and begin the process of updating and educating team members. By November 2025, LHMC saw a notable decrease in preoperative testing for low-risk surgeries and began development for an updated version of their pre-admission testing (PAT) guidelines.

Health in Action Workgroup - MVC Coordinating Center

This month’s health in action workgroup was led by MVC Site Engagement Coordinator Emily Bair, MS, MPH, RDN, CSP, with support from other staff at the MVC Coordinating Center. The workgroup encapsulated a year in review for member QI work in 2025 as well as a look ahead at 2026.

Bair shared result highlights from the MVC QI survey that many MVC members completed in June 2025, noting several common QI efforts across the state (Figure 3). The top areas of focus were sepsis, readmissions, transitions of care, population health management, and emergency department care. Of the 88 survey responses, there were a total of 65 hospitals, 8 physician organizations, and 15 hospital systems represented.

Some of the common barriers identified by member sites in the survey included insufficient resources and funds, staff burnout, high turnover, and staff shortages.

The MVC QI survey also sought to consider the needs of its members and asked participants to provide suggestions for how MVC can best support them in the upcoming year (Figure 4). The top requests included data and report-specific training, recordings and summaries of workgroups for those unable to attend events, user-friendly reports, smaller and more frequent breakout sessions during virtual events, and data and QI topics that are helpful for all types of hospital sites.

Bair reminded participants that MVC uploads virtual workgroup recordings to MVC’s YouTube channel and shares the link with members in a post-workgroup summary email along with slides and resources from presentations. To support members in accessing additional training opportunities, MVC has launched its new new site coordinator education program in January 2026. The four-module training is designed to provide a more individualized approach to building knowledge as an MVC site coordinator. The MVC QI survey was also a helpful resource for presenter recruitment, developing 2025 workgroup content, and planning 2026 offerings.

Following the 2025 review, participants engaged in an interactive polling activity about QI progress from the past year (Figure 5), areas of focus, and their key accomplishments. Some of the successes shared included improving compliance with the sepsis bundle, maintaining a low readmission rate, increased senior/executive leadership engagement, and a department-led change to improve utilization.

Workgroup participants were asked to share some of their QI priorities for 2026, including ways that their sites are trying to align with other services or programs and how MVC can best support them. Several shared they will focus on the following priorities in 2026:

Sepsis compliance improvement
Streamlining order sets to reduce sepsis fallouts
Reducing readmissions
Building connections with primary care clinics
Reducing length of stay
Reducing unnecessary preoperative testing by participating in the RITE-Size trial
Reducing hospital acquired infections
Interviewing readmissions patients

Participants also shared different ways they are working to align with Collaborative Quality Initiatives (CQI) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) measures. Several sites noted that they are shifting to align their sepsis metrics with the Michigan Hospital Medicine Safety Consortium (HMS) sepsis initiative and the CMS Hospital Sepsis Program Core Elements.

Members expressed interest in learning more about local quality leaders, developing effective committee structures within their sites, and acquiring new resources that might be available. Additionally, there was great interest in MVC’s new site coordinator education program that kicked off this January with modules that support site coordinators via one-on-one tailored training. Registration for the education program is closed for Q1 – Q2, and a waitlist has been started for Q3 – Q4. If you are a site coordinator interested in participating, you can submit an interest form. [LINK]

MVC welcomes workgroup presenters from across Michigan to share their expertise, success stories, initiatives, and solution-focused ideas with MVC members. Please reach out to us by email or by submitting a presentation proposal here if you are interested in sharing your work in a presentation.

12 Nov 2025

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MVC Announces Meeting Dates, Workgroups, and Trainings Available in 2026

November 12, 2025 | 0 Comments | BCBSM P4P, MVC Coordinating Center, MVC P4P, MVC workgroup, Pay for Performance

As we head into the holiday season and final months of calendar year 2025, the MVC Coordinating Center has been planning for its 2026 engagement activities. At MVC's most recent fall collaborative-wide meeting in October, MVC first announced several key dates and updates related to next year’s engagement offerings.

MVC’s 2026 event calendar is available now [PDF]. Of note, MVC site coordinators can see the dates for 2026 collaborative-wide meetings (Figure 1) and workgroups, as well as the months in which MVC will offer in-person or virtual networking events. MVC will head to Traverse City for its spring collaborative-wide meeting on May 8, 2026. MVC will return to Vistatech in Livonia for its fall collaborative-wide meeting on Oct. 9, 2026.

Also available is MVC’s Program Year (PY) 2026 P4P Engagement Point Menu [PDF]. Engagement activities offered in 2025 will largely continue along with some minor changes and new additions.

Earning P4P Engagement Points in 2026

In PY 2026 of the MVC Component of the BCBSM P4P Program, members can continue to earn up to two engagement points by completing eligible MVC activities. Many of the engagement point activities from PY 2025 remain available, such as attending or presenting at eligible MVC events, participating in site visits, utilizing MVC custom analytics, and survey submissions (Figure 2). Some of these offerings will have minor adjustments to their allotted point values. For example, attending a collaborative-wide meeting will now be worth 0.4 points compared to 0.25 points in 2025, and worth 1 point in 2026 for attending both meetings versus 0.75 in 2025.

Another minor change is the number of virtual workgroups offered. MVC will offer 18 virtual workgroups in 2026; these workgroups will continue to focus on similar topics and themes, including cardiac rehabilitation, preoperative testing, post-discharge follow-up, rural health, health in action, and sepsis.

New Engagement Offering

MVC is excited to introduce one new offering in 2026: site coordinator education modules. These modules will support site coordinators via one-on-one tailored training that covers a variety of topics (Figure 3). Site coordinators can receive 0.2 engagement points per module and may participate in as few as one module or all four within the performance year. Each quarter of 2026, MVC will offer limited registration to participate in a module. Registration to begin participating in 2026 Q1 will start in December 2025. Training topics provide a review of:

Overview of MVC’s mission, history, P4P program, and site coordinator role
Training on MVC claims data, metrics, and reports
Introduction to MVC’s value-based initiatives and the CQI model
Meeting with other site coordinators to collaborate and discuss practices

As part of the online training, site coordinators will complete a structured education plan with individualized guidance to deepen understanding of how to get the most value out of MVC’s offerings.

Earn Engagement Points by Being a Presenter

For those sites participating in the MVC Component of the BCBSM P4P Program, being a presenter at an MVC event is an opportunity to earn 0.5 points toward your hospital’s PY26 engagement points. By sharing successes, lessons learned, and helpful tools with members from across the state, presenters play an important role in improving outcomes for all Michigan patients. MVC’s Engagement team is here to support you every step of the way, making the experience of presenting as easy and comfortable as possible. Presentation proposals are accepted on a rolling basis through MVC's online form.

MVC offers a variety of opportunities to engage with the Coordinating Centers and other members of the collaborative to support peer learning, best practice sharing, and networking. These activities and events foster a collaborative learning environment that enables providers to learn from one another in a cooperative, non-competitive space, and is therefore core to MVC’s efforts to support sustainable, high-value healthcare delivery across the state. We look forward to engaging with you and your teams next year. Please contact the Coordinating Center with any questions [EMAIL].

22 Oct 2025

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Hospitals Receive PY25 Mid-Year Scorecards for MVC Component of BCBSM P4P Program

October 22, 2025 | 0 Comments | BCBSM P4P, MVC, MVC Coordinating Center, MVC P4P, P4P, Pay for Performance

Last month the Michigan Value Collaborative (MVC) distributed mid-year scorecards for Program Year (PY) 2025 of the MVC Component of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) Pay-for-Performance (P4P) Program. This report provided hospitals with their current standing for PY 2025. It also included a preview of measure scoring for the new health outcome variation measure that will be worth one point in PYs 2026-2027.

Each hospital received a mid-year score out of a total of 10 points, including 0 to 4 points for their selected total episode payment metric, 0 to 4 points for their selected value metric, and 0 to 2 points for completed eligible engagement activities. PY 2025 scores achievement and improvement points for each hospital’s selected episode spending conditions and value metrics using index admissions from 2024 performance year data against admissions in 2022 as the baseline year. Hospitals are awarded the higher of their achievement and improvement point scores.

The performance data timeframes included in mid-year PY 2025 scoring were index events 1/1/2024 – 12/31/2024 for BCBSM PPO Commercial, BCBSM Medicare Advantage (MA), BCN HMO Commercial, BCN HMO MA, and index events from 1/1/2024 – 6/30/2024 for Medicare FFS. The engagement points accrued represent all completed activities from 1/1/2025 – 7/31/2025. All scores are subject to change in the final scorecards as the remaining 2024 performance data becomes available and additional 2025 P4P engagement activities are completed and recorded for this year.

Figure 1 illustrates the current distribution of total points out of 10 across the collaborative. The average points scored across the mid-year scorecards was 6.3 out of 10. This average is 0.3 points lower than the average points scored at the conclusion of PY 2024.

This is the second year of a two-year (PY 24-25) P4P cycle. The full methodology for this program cycle can be found in the PY2024-2025 technical document.

In addition to the PY 2025 mid-year scorecard summary, this report also included a preview of the new health outcome variation measure scoring, which will be worth one point in PY 2026-2027 (Figure 5). The table presents the hospital’s payer-specific risk-adjusted readmission rates in the performance year, the baseline and performance indexes for the hospital, and the target indexes required to score a point via improvement or achievement. This table’s scoring is based on PY 2025 data (i.e., 2024 performance year data and 2022 baseline data). Please note that this table was included to help orient members to the scoring methodology for this new measure and does not impact PY 2025 scores. For detailed information about this measure, please refer to this introductory video and PY 2026-2027 P4P technical document.

These PY 2025 P4P mid-year scores are subject to change as new data is added. The final scores will be distributed after all 2024 claims are incorporated into the calculations. Hospitals can track their score via the P4P PY 2024-2025 dashboard reports on the MVC registry, which provides all relevant scoring information for both improvement and achievement points. These registry reports can be filtered by selected conditions/metrics to make tracking of P4P points easier. You can also contact the MVC Coordinating Center [EMAIL] for a walkthrough of your hospital’s PY 2025 mid-year scorecard or P4P registry reports.

15 Oct 2025

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MVC 2025 Fall Collaborative-Wide Meeting Summary – Adapting Together in 2025 and Beyond: High-value Care for All in a Changing Landscape

October 15, 2025 | 0 Comments | collaborative-wide meeting, health outcome variation, Michigan Value Collaborative, MVC Coordinating Center, outcome variation, Semi-Annual Event

The Michigan Value Collaborative (MVC) held its fall 2025 collaborative-wide meeting on Friday, Oct. 10, in Livonia. A total of 91 attendees representing 64 hospitals, three physician organizations, and 13 healthcare systems from across the state of Michigan came together to share strategies for mitigating the impact of non-medical drivers on health outcomes.

MVC Director Mark Bradshaw, MSc, kicked off Friday’s meeting with updates on the MVC Coordinating Center [See slides]. He introduced MVC’s newest team members, Manager of Data Analytics Ian Raxter, MPH, and Project Manager Emily Woltmann, PhD, MSW, as well as announced the promotion of Julia Mantey, MPH, MUP, to Lead Analyst. Bradshaw encouraged sites to register for the 2025 Michigan Cardiac Rehab network (MiCR) fall meeting at Corewell Health Troy Hospital by the Oct. 31 deadline. He also provided an update on Phase II of the RITE-Size preoperative testing trial and recent MVC reporting since MVC’s spring meeting, including refreshed common conditions push reports, the new health outcome variation push report, and the P4P Program Year 2025 mid-year scorecards. Bradshaw provided insights on the content included in the health outcome variation push report and the P4P Program Year 2025 mid-year scorecards before reviewing Program Year (PY) 2026-2027 cycle changes and member selections (Figure 1 and Figure 2).

Following Bradshaw’s announcement that MVC’s 2026 engagement point menu is now posted on MVC’s P4P webpage, MVC Engagement Manager Jessica Souva, MSN, RN, C-ONQS, highlighted the differences from previous versions of MVC’s engagement point menu. Souva noted that most of the changes to the engagement point menu were adjustments to the point values; however, Souva introduced the addition of a site coordinator education modules offering (Figure 3). Details on these modules will be shared with MVC site coordinators in the coming months via email.

The meeting then featured a presentation from the MSHIELD CQI, including Program Manager Julia Weinert, MPH, and Bradley Iott, PhD, MPH, on implications of non-medical drivers of health for quality improvement. Weinert and Iott presented research evidence on the importance of addressing upstream drivers of health outcomes, MSHIELD implementation toolkits, and resources available on the MSHIELD website.

MVC’s keynote presentation was delivered by Gloria Rey, PA-C, MPH, Director of Post-Acute Care for Henry Ford Health/Populance. Her presentation detailed Henry Ford Health’s approach to developing and maintaining strong relationships with post-acute care providers [See slides]. Rey went on to demonstrate how these relationships have improved patient outcomes and cost savings (Figure 4).

After a networking lunch, MVC Medical Director Hari Nathan, MD, PhD, and MVC Analyst Kushbu Narender Singh, MDS, MPH, delivered an MVC data presentation focused on MVC’s new health outcome variation measure [See slides]. During the presentation, Narender Singh supplemented Dr. Nathan’s explanation of the measure definition (Figure 5), benefits, and rollout timeline with MVC member unblinded data and case scenarios. An introductory video for the health outcome variation measure is available on MVC’s P4P webpage.

The meeting closed with a reflection of the day spent together and reminders about upcoming meetings and events [See slides].

What are the attendees saying about the meeting?

“I gained a lot of insight and ideas to take back to my organization to review with others.”

“I learned that patients can be in home care and cardiac rehab at the same time which is a game changer for us.”

“Enjoyable to see the multi-faceted approaches that are being used throughout the state's regions for decreasing readmissions.”

“I really enjoyed the breakout sessions and discussions!”

“Loved the ability to talk with other groups and learn from each other. Like the unblinded data, it was more meaningful to what was being discussed.”

If you have questions about any of the topics discussed at MVC’s fall collaborative-wide meeting or are interested in following up for more details, email the MVC Coordinating Center. MVC’s next collaborative-wide meeting will be in person on Fri., May 8, 2026, in Traverse City.

08 Oct 2025

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September Workgroups Highlight Sepsis ED Triage Process and MVC’s Common Conditions and Procedures Report & Registry Review

October 8, 2025 | 0 Comments | Emergency Department Utilization, MVC Common Conditions Report, MVC Coordinating Center, MVC registry, sepsis

In September, MVC hosted two virtual workgroup presentations – the first, a sepsis workgroup focused on Henry Ford Health Macomb’s efforts to build a structured emergency department (ED) triage process specifically for patients diagnosed with sepsis. The second, a health in action workgroup focused on the recent MVC Common Conditions and Procedures Report and included an overview of how to combine this push report with MVC registry data. The MVC Coordinating Center hosts workgroup presentations twice per month covering a variety of topics including post-discharge follow-up, sepsis, cardiac rehab, rural health, preoperative testing and health in action.

Sepsis Workgroup September 9, 2025

As Brandie DeVos, RN, MSN, Sepsis Coordinator explained at the beginning of the presentation, sepsis continues to challenge hospitals due to its time sensitive nature. Delays in recognition or treatment can lead to worse outcomes. Henry Ford Macomb Hospital’s ED sepsis team – composed of Michigan Hospital Medicine Safety Consortium (HMS) coordinators, internal sepsis program, and ED leadership – was established to combat just this issue. Their mission, to build a structured ED triage process, with specific attention to patients suspected of sepsis who present with abnormal vital signs to ensure the rapid identification, prioritization, and early intervention in suspected sepsis cases (Figure 1).

Co-presenters, DeVos and Errin Couck, BSN, RN, HMS Sepsis Coordinator, emphasized that having a consistent, structured triage process has helped to ensure cases of sepsis are not missed in the chaos of the ED. They recognized that prior to the initiation of a triage process directed at identifying sepsis, patients were being placed throughout the ED regardless of the presence of symptoms, vital signs indicating organ dysfunction, or indications of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria.

However, the triage system does more than mechanically screen vitals; it incorporates clinical judgement and risk indicators to prioritize patients with abnormal temperatures, elevated heart rate, hypotension, or altered mental status (Figure 2). The optimized identification of at-risk patients increases adherence to evidence-based sepsis bundle elements such as early labs, cultures, antibiotics, and fluid resuscitation within the defined time windows, a crucial step to improving performance in quality metrics.

However, in practice, the sepsis program requires the support of a multidisciplinary team. DeVos and Couck note the most common roadblocks to this initiative were staff push back, untrained RNs in the triage area, and RN fatigue. They encourage aligning all stakeholders early and sustaining communication channels. They also noted great success with positive encouragement (i.e., celebrating the small wins), requiring triage RNs to have at least one year of ED experience, and routine triage RN rotations (every four hours).

Since initiating the new triage process, the presenters noted the following positive outcomes:

A 36% increase in antibiotics given within three hours of arrival for septic shock patients
For emergency medical services (EMS) patients, vital signs are obtained, triage completed, and patients roomed appropriately in an average of 12 minutes
90% of lobby patients have vital signs obtained within 5-10 minutes
Overall, less patient triage complaints

The presenters ended the presentation by discussing a challenge they have experienced when attempting to expand their sepsis ED triage process to other sites within their own system. Hospitals differ – in size, resources, patient volume, and staffing. DeVos and Couck encouraged participants to pilot, learn, and iteratively refine their workflows locally.

This workgroup session served as both a practical guide and a rallying call – a structured ED triage for suspected sepsis should not be optional. It’s a critical defense against delays that cost lives.

Health in Action Workgroup September 25, 2025

The September health in action workgroup featured a presentation by MVC’s Site Engagement Coordinator Emily Bair, MS, MPH, RDN, CSP. The presentation focused on the recent MVC Common Conditions and Procedures Report and included an overview of how to utilize the MVC registry to compliment analyses included in this push report.

The Common Conditions and Procedures Report was developed as a structured data tool aimed at providing individualized, comprehensive, high-impact trends in commonly seen chronic conditions and a selection of procedures across participating hospitals. The most recent version of this report was shared with members in July. Two previous versions of the report were shared in 2024 and 2023.

Similar to previous iterations of the report, the most recent Common Conditions report included 30-day inpatient or surgical episodes created from two years of index admissions between January 2023 – December 2024. Exclusions included patients who had an inpatient hospital transfer, died in the hospital during their index hospitalization, or were discharged to hospice. Payors included Blue Care Network HMO Commercial and Medicare Advantage, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan PPO Commercial and Medicare Advantage, Medicare Fee-for-Service, and Michigan Medicaid.

Within each report each site has an individualized patient population overview table that displays the patient population for each common condition (Figure 3). This table illustrates the distribution pattern of the population within each common condition but is not necessarily indicative of the distribution of patient demographics for the outcome of interest. In addition to age, gender, and race/ethnicity categories, the table includes zip code level data based on the Economic Innovation Group’s Distressed Communities Index (DCI) 2015-19, dual-eligible status, and common comorbidities.

In an effort to continue to support hospitals to move from simply viewing data to implementing quality improvements, Bair outlined a few key MVC engagement strategies:

Outreach and coaching: MVC offers one-on-one coaching to support members with data interpretation and connections to peers
Custom analytic report development: MVC may facilitate the development of deeper data analyses
Peer learning and collaboration: MVC aims to catalyze dialogue across sites, encouraging sharing cross-hospital learning
Iterative feedback: MVC welcomes feedback from members to support the evolution of data tools

Once a registry request is received, the MVC team will confirm your request with your specified site’s MVC Site Coordinator (primary contact). Once confirmed, you will be sent an MVC website confidentiality agreement (WCA), and upon receiving the completed WCA, MVC will provide you with a username and directions to login via email.

If you are interested in pursuing a healthcare quality improvement project, MVC has data specialists available to help you navigate our data resources and create custom analytics reports to support your efforts. Please reach out to us by email if you would like to learn more about MVC data or engagement offerings!

01 Oct 2025

MVC MVC Coordinating Center QECP

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MVC Publishes its 2025 QECP Annual Report as a Qualified Entity

October 1, 2025 | 0 Comments | MVC, MVC Coordinating Center, QECP

Recently, the MVC Coordinating Center published its annual Qualified Entity Certification Program (QECP) public report for 2025. This report [PDF] was published on the QECP section on MVC’s Data/Registry webpage and is an annual requirement for MVC as a qualified entity with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This was MVC’s fourth public QECP report, which continued to provide unidentified aggregated data about Michigan hospital performance on two measures: rates of 30-day rehospitalizations following start of home health care, and rates of outpatient follow-up received after hospitalization for congestive heart failure (CHF) or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

All measures in the report were created using data from MVC claims-based episodes of care initialized by inpatient hospitalizations or surgeries between Jan. 1, 2018, and Dec. 31, 2023. Claims were incorporated from all MVC payer sources, including Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS), Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM), Blue Care Network (BCN), and Michigan Medicaid.

The reported overall risk-adjusted rate of 30-day unplanned rehospitalization after the start of post-acute home health care among episodes beginning at MVC hospitals in Michigan was 11.8% for 2018-2023. Risk-adjusted rates by index hospital ranged from 4.7% to 16.5% (Figure 1). By home health provider, risk-adjusted rates ranged from 1.8% to 23.8%. Patients whose episode of care began with an index event for endocarditis, CHF, or COPD were more likely than patients with other index conditions to experience an unplanned rehospitalization in the 30 days after they started home health care, with rehospitalization rates of 21%, 20%, and 20%, respectively (Figure 2). Patients with a joint replacement episode of care were least likely to have an unplanned rehospitalization following the start of home health care (3% rehospitalization rate).

Results for the outpatient follow-up metrics remained similar to findings from previous annual reports. Across episodes of care for index events in 2018-2023 at the 106 MVC hospitals in Michigan, the unadjusted rate of patients receiving outpatient follow-up within 7 days after hospitalization for CHF was 44% (Figure 3). Following index hospitalizations for COPD, 36% of patients received outpatient follow-up within 7 days (Figure 4). For both conditions, there was wide variation across hospitals in Michigan in their 7-day follow-up rates after hospitalization, with rates ranging between less than 10% to over 60%. MVC also calculated follow-up rates after CHF and COPD hospitalizations using 3-day, 14-day, and 30-day follow-up windows, with those rate and hospital-level rate distributions summarized in the full report. Rates of follow-up were steady over time.

For more information and the entire set of findings we invite you to read the full 2025 report, available here.

QE certification status allows MVC to provide hospital members with additional data from Medicare FFS claims at a level of granularity not otherwise available under standard CMS data use agreements. Reports located under the “QE Medicare” icon on the MVC registry allow hospital registry users to see unsuppressed Medicare data including case counts <11 as well as utilization rates and average payments based on case counts <11. In addition, on any QE Medicare registry report, members can click on specific data points to load a list of all episodes underlying that data point. From that episode list it is possible to view drilldown information on individual episodes to learn more about the claims and price-standardized payments comprising that episode.

Members may contact the MVC Coordinating Center by email to learn more about data available through MVC’s QECP reports and to receive the forms necessary to gain access on the registry.

17 Sep 2025

CQIs kidney stone surgery MUSIC MVC Coordinating Center urology

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CQI Spotlight: Michigan Urological Surgery Improvement Collaborative

September 17, 2025 | 0 Comments | CQIs, kidney stone surgery, MUSIC, MVC Coordinating Center, urology

Urological surgery quality improvement is essential for enhancing patient outcomes, ensuring safety, optimizing healthcare costs, and strengthening overall healthcare system performance. To foster patient trust, reduce outcome variation, and drive continuous advancements in urological surgery practices, the Michigan Urological Surgery Improvement Collaborative (MUSIC) was established in 2011.

One of Michigan’s 21 Collaborative Quality Initiatives (CQIs) operating in partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM), MUSIC is a physician-led CQI comprised of a consortium of 44 urology practices (academic, private practice, community) across the state of Michigan, as well as four out-of-state practices. Designed to evaluate and improve the quality and cost efficiency of urologic care, MUSIC aims to improve patients’ lives by inspiring high-quality care through data-driven best practices, education, and innovation.

The initial focus of MUSIC was improving care for patients diagnosed with or at risk of prostate cancer. The earliest quality improvement (QI) initiatives MUSIC undertook focused on decreasing infectious complications following prostate biopsies and decreasing unnecessary imaging for patients with low-risk prostate cancer. Both efforts were very successful with post-biopsy infectious hospitalizations decreasing from 1.1% in 2013 to 0.2% in 2024 and unnecessary bone scans and computed tomography (CT) scans decreasing from 13% and 15% in 2012 to 5% and 4% respectively in 2018. MUSIC has also conducted four randomized clinical trials, two completed and two in-progress, utilizing the MUSIC infrastructure. Since its formation, MUSIC expanded its focus from prostate cancer (MUSIC-Prostate) to a program focused on kidney stones (MUSIC-ROCKS) in 2016 and small kidney tumors (MUSIC-KIDNEY) in 2017, with a plan to begin a new program on benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in the fourth quarter of 2025 (Figure 1).

MUSIC Achievements

Over the last 14 years, MUSIC has made significant strides in urological care and surgical quality, achieving milestones that greatly advanced the field (Figure 2). Through MUSIC’s efforts, active surveillance (AS) for patients with low-risk prostate cancer – which involves monitoring prostate cancer in its localized stage until the doctor feels that further treatment is needed to halt the disease at a curable stage – increased from about 40% in 2018 to about 80% in 2024. Post-ureteroscopy emergency department (ED) visits, another area of focus, decreased from about 10% in 2016 to about 8% in 2024.

MUSIC initiatives also made a significant impact on the use of evidence-based guidelines for prescribing opioids after surgery. Between 2016 and 2024, the use of opioid prescriptions after kidney stone surgery dropped from about 80% to about 15%. The Michigan Value Collaborative (MVC) helped assess the impact and value of MUSIC's opioid initiatives within both the ROCKS and Prostate programs, resulting in a MUSIC-ROCKS value assessment in 2022 and a MUSIC-Prostate value assessment in 2023 (Figure 3). These MUSIC initiatives had a major impact on opioid prescribing in Michigan, helping to reduce the availability of unused opioids in the community and mitigate their potential for misuse. MVC and MUSIC frequently collaborate on analytic projects and exercises that help evaluate ongoing initiatives as well as identify opportunities for QI in the future.

Current MUSIC Initiatives

Active surveillance for prostate cancer patients continues to be a goal with additional focus on ensuring patients on AS receive proper follow-up testing. MUSIC aims to build on the successes of previous initiatives by developing updated recommendations for type and frequency of follow-up testing and conducting urologist and primary care physician (PCP) education and feedback reporting. An area of focus for MUSIC’s ROCKS program includes decreasing post-ureteroscopy infectious complications and ED visits after kidney stone surgery. To achieve these goals, MUSIC is developing more specific recommendations for pre- and post-operative antibiotic use, providing better patient education, using non-opioid post-operative pain management, and decreasing the use of ureteral stents (Figure 4).

Services and Benefits for MUSIC Members

MUSIC hosts multiple collaborative-wide meetings and workshops each year to support its ongoing mission to improve urologic care. Other ways MUSIC supports its initiatives and advances QI is by conducting annual site visits to urologists, other providers, and hospitals to review their performance across various metrics, offer provider education, and discuss opportunities for improvement to ensure all patients in Michigan have access to the same quality of care. MUSIC members also receive support for American Board of Urology maintenance of certification.

For patients, MUSIC provides patient education materials that build trust and help improve outcomes, which are often developed with direct input from patients. When asked to comment on the patient education materials and MUSIC program, MUSIC Patient Advocate James Humphries said,

“Guidance provided by my urologist and the MUSIC materials allowed me to make an informed treatment decision regarding my kidney mass and confidently select active surveillance. I am grateful for the continuing opportunity to participate in MUSIC collaborative meetings and provide commentary on patient educational materials. I sincerely believe other patients will benefit if this document is shared. Ultimately, I attribute my improved health and successful surgical outcome to these collaborative efforts.”

MVC is proud to partner with MUSIC in advancing urological care across Michigan. The BCBSM-funded CQIs play a crucial role in driving healthcare quality improvement, and MVC is excited to continue showcasing the innovative contributions of individual CQIs and the ways in which MVC’s data support high-value care initiatives across the portfolio. Please reach out to MVC by email if you are interested in learning more.

Archive

Figure 1. Cardiac Rehab Resource Materials

Sepsis Workgroup – MVC Coordinating Center

Figure 1. MVC Data Registry Value Metric Summary – Blinded Report

Figure 2. MVC Data Registry Value Metric Trends – Blinded Report

MVC Sepsis Workgroup: Jan. 13, 2026

Health in Action Workgroup – Corewell Health Farmington Hills Hospital

Figure 3. Timing of Preoperative Antibiotic Infusion Flyer

Figure 4. Recommended Antibiotic Re-Dosing Interval Guideline Table for Patients Currently Receiving Antibiotics

MVC Health in Action Workgroup: Jan. 29, 2026

Preoperative Testing Workgroup - RITE-Size & Lake Huron Medical Center

Figure 1. MVC RITE-Size Pilot Program Testing Rates Over Time Across All Three Sites from March-April 2024 to July-August 2024

Figure 2. LHMC Timeline of RITE-Size Pilot Work

MVC Preoperative Testing Workgroup: Dec. 2, 2025

Health in Action Workgroup - MVC Coordinating Center

Figure 3. Statewide QI Initiatives in 2025

Figure 4. MVC Member Suggestions for Future Offerings

Figure 5. MVC Participants QI Progress Word Cloud

MVC Health in Action Workgroup: Dec. 18, 2025

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Sepsis Workgroup September 9, 2025

Figure 1. Walk-In Triage Process for Sepsis

Figure 2. Code Sepsis Activation Process

MVC Sepsis Workgroup Sept. 9, 2025

Health in Action Workgroup September 25, 2025

Figure 3. Common Conditions Patient Population Snapshot for Hospital A (Blinded Data)

Figure 4. Common Conditions Report Page for Atrial Fibrillation for Hospital A (Blinded Data)

Figure 5. Summary of Relevant Reports on MVC Data Registry

MVC Health in Action Workgroup Sept. 25, 2025

Interested in access to the MVC data registry?

Figure 1. Risk-Adjusted Rates of 30-Day Unplanned Rehospitalization from Home Health, by MVC Hospital

Figure 2. Unadjusted Rates of 30-Day Unplanned Rehospitalization from Home Health, by Condition

Figure 3. 7-Day Follow-Up After CHF Hospitalization by MVC Hospital

Figure 1: Michigan Urological Surgery Improvement Collaborative Programs

Figure 2: Impact of MUSIC

Figure 3. Page 1 of MVC’s Impact and Value Delivery Assessment for MUSIC-ROCKS

Figure 4: Decreasing Unplanned Healthcare Encounters after Ureteroscopy (URS)

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