News

May 15, 2021   Major Depressive Disorder   Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the second leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting an estimated 120 million people. 1 Screening is to be done once per year in the year that the patient is seen for an encounter. HEDIS measures the percentage of members 12 years of age and older who were screened for clinical depression using a standardized tool and, if screened positive, who received follow-up care    A positive screen MUST have a...

May 1, 2021 New Treatment Option for CHF   More than 9 million people in the Unites States have congestive heart failure reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).  It is the most common diagnosis in hospitalized patients over the age of 65.  One of nine deaths have heart failure as a contributing cause and inflicts considerably quality of life.  It’s an illness that consumes healthcare resources.   Established therapies for chronic HFrEF include angiotensin receptor-neprilysn inhi...

Chronic Kidney Disease Approximately 11% of U.S. adults have CKD, many of whom are elderly. The condition is usually asymptomatic until its advanced stages. Most cases of CKD are associated with diabetes or hypertension. eGFR is considered the best screening tool for Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) eGFR Calculator Treatment of early stages of CKD is generally targeted to comorbid medical conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease, to reduce the risk for complications and progres...

2021 Specialist VBR Results BCBSM of Michigan has released the results of the 2021 Specialist Value-Based Reimbursement (VBR) program. The VBR program is initiated through the Physician Group Incentive Program (PGIP) and your participation is administered by McLaren Physician Partners (MPP) . The quality care that Specialists are providing to their patients allows them to earn Specialist Value-Based Reimbursement. In 2021, 70% of MPP Specialists achieved VBR.   Specialist physicians participating i...

Appropriate Treatment of the Adult Upper Respiratory Infection Adult upper respiratory infection (URI) represents one of the most common acute illness seen in the outpatient setting. Adults ages 19 – 39 are diagnosed with 2.2 URI per year and adults 40 and beyond are diagnosed with 1.6 URI per year.(1) In the United States, the annual costs associated with the inappropriate  utilization of antibiotics for treatment of URI in adults and children is $3 Billion dollars. 2 Inappropriate antibiotic pres...

MPP Virtual Community Resource Fair McLaren Physician Partners (MPP) Quality Team will be hosting a Virtual Community Resource Fair. Please join us Thursday April 22, 2021 from 12:00pm to 1:00pm for our live webinar presentation. Please invite available staff that would benefit from the information presented. The focus of this webinar is to give resources for both Primary Care Physician offices and Specialist offices to partner with the community to assist with Social Determinant of Health needs for the...

DEXA for Osteoporosis The USPSTF recommends screening for osteoporosis in women aged 65 years or older and in younger women whose fracture risk is equal to or greater than that of a 65-year-old white woman who has no additional risk factors 1 .   Limited evidence from good-quality studies found no benefit in predicting fractures from repeating bone measurement testing 4 to 8 years after initial screening 2 .   RISK FACTORS RECOMMENDATIONS Fracture from minor trauma Adequate calcium and vitamin...

Medication Adherence Best Practices Adherence to prescribed medications is associated with improved clinical outcomes for chronic disease management and reduced mortality from chronic conditions. Conversely, nonadherence is associated with higher rates of hospital admissions, suboptimal health outcomes, increased morbidity and mortality, and increased health care costs. Approximately one in five new prescriptions are never filled, and among those filled, approximately 50% are taken incorrectly, particul...

New 2021 Clinical Integration Scorecard Metrics MPP has been operating a Clinical Integration (CI) Program, which includes an MPP Payment Distribution Methodology, with a goal of improving physicians revenue streams by rewarding providers for providing high-quality, evidenced-based, patient-centric, and cost-effective care. In 2021 changes to our CI Scorecard and Payment Distribution Methodology were needed and the CI scorecards are now focused on Commercial and Medicare Advantage plan performance. High...

Preventive medicine has the potential to save lives. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “if everyone in the United States received recommended clinical preventive care, more than 100,000 lives could be saved each year.” The Medicare Annual Wellness Visit (AWV) is a preventive care visit introduced in 2011, as part of the Affordable Care Act, provided without cost to beneficiaries.  The Medicare program introduced the annual wellness visit to improve healthy aging among all...