05 July 2009

Blue Cross Grants Additional $6 Million To MHA

Story from Crain's Detroit Business

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan has decided to provide a second $6 million grant to the Michigan Health and Hospital Association for research to improve health care quality and patient safety, and to reduce costs.

The Blues made an initial $6 million grant in 2004.

The funding will go to MHA’s Keystone Center for Patient Safety and Quality.

“The MHA Keystone Center projects have already delivered a phenomenal return in improving safety and quality,” said Blue Cross CEO Dan Loepp in a statement.

Most of Michigan’s 144 hospitals have participated in the center’s projects – that include reducing hospital-acquired infections, improving care for mothers and newborns and increasing patient flow in emergency departments.

The Center's projects include reducing hospital-acquired infections, improving care for mothers and newborns and increasing patient flow in emergency departments.

For example, improving quality in hospital intensive care units the past four years have saved 1,800 lives, cut 129,000 hospital days and saved $247 million in unnecessary costs, Blue Cross said.

Hospitals also have saved more than $10 million by reducing urinary tract infections acquired from hospital catheters.

Spencer Johnson, MHA president, said patient lives have been saved by following best practices discovered through the research.

“The Michigan hospitals that participate in the MHA Keystone Center programs have achieved significant, measurable patient safety improvements – errors have been reduced and lives have been saved,” said Johnson in a statement.

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