Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, UMHS announce new initiative to enhance genetic testing practices

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and the University of Michigan Health System are collaborating with physicians and laboratories across the state as part of a new initiative to improve genetic testing practices.

Called the Genetic Testing Resource and Quality Consortium, this initiative will help medical professionals determine whether genetic testing should be used in common clinical scenarios, and which tests will benefit patients the most. Participants also will develop best practices for performing the tests, improving testing quality and advising patients on genetic testing recommendations.

"This initiative will develop evidence-based guidelines to help physicians and their patients make important decisions about whether or not to get tested and, when testing is indicated, which tests will best meet their health needs and goals," said David Share, M.D., senior vice president, Value Partnerships, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.

"This is truly a collaborative in every sense. We've received input from providers through multiple statewide forums to help identify the goals and develop the structure of this initiative," said Scott Owens, M.D., co-clinical director of the initiative, director of the Division of Quality and Health Improvement in the Department of Pathology at the University of Michigan Health System as well as an associate professor of pathology at the U-M Medical School.

This is the first of the 21 initiatives in the Michigan Blues' Collaborative Quality Initiative program to include a wide variety of provider types, including pathologists and genetic counselors, along with primary care and specialist physicians.

"We're recruiting participants now, and then we'll start the process of reviewing medical literature, clinical protocols and patient data to determine the most appropriate tests." said David Keren, M.D., co-clinical director of the initiative and director, Division of Clinical Pathology at the University of Michigan Health System. "We'll then focus on making sure the right tests are performed the right way, at the right time, for the right patient and for the right reasons."

Across Michigan, 75 large and medium size acute care hospitals participate in at least one Collaborative Quality Initiative, or CQI. Collectively, the CQIs analyze the care given to more than 200,000 Michigan patients annually. Five CQIs have saved $597 million in health costs over a five-year period by reducing and preventing complications and improving patient outcomes.

In total, there are now 21 CQIs focused on a variety of clinical and surgical areas including bariatric surgery, general surgery, angioplasty, vascular disease, cardiothoracic surgery, hospital medicine safety, breast cancer, trauma center quality, anesthesiology, hip and knee replacement, spine surgery, surgical episodes of care, radiation treatment for cancer and prostate cancer.