News in brief - March 7, 2011

Michigan trauma centers launch quality project

A new statewide initiative in Michigan aims to measure and improve the quality and safety of trauma care. Twenty-two trauma centers in the state are partnering with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Blue Care Network and the American College of Surgeons to create an infrastructure that will allow participating hospitals to measure their performance, identify best practices and share data with one another.

Officials involved with the effort, announced in February, said trauma care quality varies widely. Nationwide, traumatic injuries account for 37 million emergency department visits and 2.6 million hospital admissions annually, racking up $80 billion in medical costs, according to figures released by the Michigan Blues plan.

The effort, called the Michigan Trauma Quality Improvement Program, is being coordinated by the University of Michigan Health System. More than 100 trauma centers participate in a national quality improvement program run by the American College of Surgeons.

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Blood test program for uninsured to end

A program that provides low-cost blood tests to uninsured patients is ending after one of its partners lost its contract with a major laboratory company.

Nationally, the program is a partnership between the Summit County Medical Society in Akron, Ohio, and PrePaid Lab LLC, an online marketer of lab tests based in Avon Lake, Ohio. It allows people to preorder and pay for discounted blood tests at nearby labs over the Internet.

But national access will end soon after Laboratory Corp. of America notified PrePaid Lab on Jan. 12 that it was ending its contract, says a medical society statement.

"We were stunned by LabCorp's withdrawal. Our program was just starting to catch on," said Doug Lefton, MD, a family physician in Fairlawn, Ohio. Dr. Lefton, who worked at American Medical News from 1981 to 1987, led efforts to launch the program. LabCorp officials did not respond to requests for comment.

The program still will offer low-cost blood tests to uninsured patients in the Akron area through the medical society's partnership with physician group Pioneer Physicians Network.

This content was published online only.

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