What is the Michigan HealthLink (MHL)?
We are a non-profit corporation, with a voting Board comprised of physicians, formed for the express purpose of implementing the BCBSM Organized System of Care (OSC) program. Made up of independently-minded physician organizations, together we are working to improve care for the patients we serve.
Who is involved in MHL?
A subset of physicians affiliated with the BCBSM PGIP program through Oakland Southfield Physicians, GMP Network, Livingston Physician Organization, and Olympia Medical Services.
Why did my Physician Organization (PO) join MHL?
POs join MHL for many reasons, chief among them is the opportunity to work collaboratively with similar minded organizations to improve the quality and cost of healthcare. Enhancing care coordination with our surrounding care community neighbors allows us to better manage an integrated population of patients--even ones that are aging, underserved, or chronically ill.
Does MHL require exclusivity or have single signature authority?
NO! MHL does not have single signature authority, meaning MHL directors cannot enroll any affiliated physician in other programs without their approval and sign-off.
Can I be part of two BCBSM Organized Systems of Care (OSCs)?
Primary care physicians can only participate in one OSC network. This is because to the OSCs performance is measured on the PCP attributed patient population. Specialists and hospitals may be affiliated with multiple OSCs.
Is MHL an Accountable Care Organization (ACO)?
While its guiding principles and core objectives resemble an ACO, MHL is not. An ACO serves traditional Medicare fee-for-services patients and is under the regulatory oversight of CMS. MHL is affiliated solely with BCBSM responsible for improving the overall delivery of care for our BCBSM attributed patient population.
Is there an MHL membership fee?
No, currently there MHL does not have a membership fee. Operations are funded through the BCBSM Value Partnership Organized System of Care initiative.
What are the requirements for an individual physician to participate?
- Committed to working with your Physician Organization to succeed
- Support the patient-centered medical home model appropriate to your specialty
- Adopted, or plan to do so within 3 months, interoperable health information technology
- Support performance improvement efforts around cost, quality, and patient care experience
- Agree to the Michigan HealthLink guiding principles and care compact
How will MHL help me in my Primary Care office?
Improved transparency and clinical coordination throughout the continuum of care, access to innovative care guidelines jointly developed between PCPs and subspecialists; ready my practice for the new demands of the healthcare industry, improved clinical data sharing capabilities and performance reporting.
How will MHL help me in my Specialty Care office?
Improved transparency and clinical coordination throughout the continuum of care, access to innovative care guidelines jointly developed between PCPs and subspecialists; ready my practice for the new demands of the healthcare industry, improved clinical data sharing capabilities and performance reporting.
Will I be restricted to only use MHL affiliated physicians?
No, but in the future, you may choose to use physicians that are likeminded and working together with you to providing high quality and cost-effective care.
Will I be restricted to only use MHL affiliated hospitals?
No, but in the future, you may want to use only hospitals that will coordinate and communicate care with you; as well as those who are committed to being strong quality and cost-effective partners.
What does MHL mean for patients?
A more organized and cohesive, patient-centered health care system dedicated to improving the overall patient care experience. Better communication amongst those providing care will result in less fragmentation and reduce duplicative testing.
Will I be required to implement an EMR/EHR to participate in MHL? (if so when)
Yes. MHL is required to collect and analyze demographic, clinical, and claims experiential data on behalf of its attributed patient population. Electronic health technology at the office or practice level is essential to meeting the performance demands of the BCBSM Organized System of Care program.
Will physicians earn money as part of MHL?
A cornerstone of this model is implementing a framework that thoughtfully analyzes performance through the Triple Aim lens; which means rewarding participants who contribute to improvements in key quality metrics, reductions in health care cost, and achieve a high patient satisfaction rate.
How will MHL collect and use data from my office?
Data collection is supported by Administrative Network Technology Solutions (ANTS), a Michigan based Health IT firm dedicated to the supporting healthcare data exchange.
Supplemental data collected from participating offices will be used to augment data supplied by BCBSM to optimize performance, promote continuous quality improvement activities, advance clinical objectives, and monitor performance trends. This structured information sharing may also help fill gaps in clinical information amongst providers; promoting fewer service duplications and improved patient-centered care through better communication channels.
To learn more about the Michigan HealthLink, click here and complete an inquiry form.
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