Value-Based Improvement Initiatives

As part of the Michigan Value Collaborative’s commitment to improve the health of Michigan through sustainable high-value healthcare, the Coordinating Center has developed specific focus areas for which member hospital and physician organization efforts are concentrated to drive improvement. These are termed our Value-Based Improvement Initiatives. MVC’s current initiatives focus on equitably increasing participation in cardiac rehabilitation across Michigan, reducing unnecessary preoperative testing before low-risk surgical procedures, and emphasizing equity in healthcare. Previous initiatives focused on optimizing inpatient post-acute care after major joint replacement and improving chronic disease management. Further information is provided below.

Cardiac Rehabilitation

Cardiac rehab (CR) has a Class IA indication, meaning there is high-quality evidence that it is beneficial. Nevertheless, CR is widely underused, with national utilization rates only 20-30% and, in Michigan, a large disparity between CR referral and CR attendance. By using our 90-day episode claims data to provide time-specific hospital-level information on CR enrollment and completed visits, and partnering with the Blue Cross Blue Shield Cardiovascular Consortium (BMC2), the Coordinating Center aims to equitably increase participation in cardiac rehabilitation for all eligible individuals in Michigan. The MVC team is supported by a stakeholder working group made up of hospital and PO representatives, experts in the field, CQI partners, and BCBSM representatives, to provide advisory guidance and ensure the delivery of a collaborative and coherent message when advocating for policy changes that will improve care for patients in Michigan. More information on this VCC can be found in MVC’s Frequently Asked Questions.

The following resources can assist members in their efforts to increase cardiac rehab participation:

Preoperative Testing

Preoperative testing, especially in low-risk surgical procedures, often provides no clinical benefits to patients. Despite this, these services continue to be ordered regularly at hospitals across Michigan. Eliminating this unnecessary and, in some cases, potentially harmful preoperative testing represents a clear opportunity to improve value in surgery. The Coordinating Center uses administrative claims data and engagement with MVC members to try and reduce the use of unnecessary preoperative testing for surgical procedures to improve quality, reduce cost, and improve the equity of care delivery in Michigan. As with MVC’s Cardiac Rehab VCC, the Coordinating Center is supported by a stakeholder working group to advise ongoing activity. The expertise of this workgroup is used to provide insight on the best approaches to improve member awareness of preoperative testing practices and increase access to existing guidelines and best practices. More information on this topic can be found in MVC’s Frequently Asked Questions.

The following resources can assist members in their efforts to reduce unnecessary preoperative testing:

Post-Acute Care after Joint Replacement

As part of this VCC, the MVC Coordinating Center set a target of reducing the average inpatient post-acute care rate to less than 15 percent, or achieving average post-discharge spending of $3,400, in at least 90% of MVC hospitals. With this in mind, the MVC team has facilitated regular joint workgroups in collaboration with the Michigan Arthroplasty Collaborative Quality Initiative (MARCQI) and has disseminated push reports and related data to drive improvement. This has helped drive down the MVC inpatient post-acute care rate to 8.8% and average post-discharge spending to $3,374 for 90% of MVC hospitals. While the initial target set has been reached, the MVC team will continue to support quality improvement efforts in this area. If you are interested in hearing more, please reach out to the MVC Coordinating Center.

MVC Case Study: Target Goals Met for Joint Replacement VCC

Chronic Disease Management

The MVC Coordinating Center also supports members in their efforts to increase post-discharge outpatient follow-up rates after inpatient admissions for chronic diseases. As part of this, the MVC team facilitates regular Chronic Disease Management workgroups with guest speakers from across the state, disseminates push reports focused on chronic disease follow-up and readmissions (e.g. CHF, COPD), and holds quarterly regional networking events for members to come together and share best practice. If you are interested in becoming involved with any of these activities, please reach out to the MVC Coordinating Center.