Southeast Michigan Beacon Community Recognized with Michigan Innovations in Health Care Award

DETROIT, May 7, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Southeast Michigan Beacon Community (SEMBC) was recently recognized with an Innovations in Health Care Award at the 2012 Champion of Hope Tribute Dinner at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center on the campus of Michigan State University.  The award was presented to SEMBC by the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan, sponsor of the Champion of Hope Tribute Dinner, in partnership with the Michigan Association of Health Plans, The Michigan Health and Hospital Association, and the Michigan State Medical Society.

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"As one of seventeen Beacon Communities in the United States who are committed to building and strengthening Health Information Technology (HIT) and infrastructure, we are extremely proud of this recognition, and see it as proof positive that we're moving in the right direction – as an organization and collectively with our partners and the entire Southeast Michigan community" said Terrisca Des Jardins, Director of SEMBC.

"We could not be more proud of the ongoing work of the Southeast Michigan Beacon Community to help show that diabetes prevention and treatment driven by health information technology works, and builds upon the clinical and IT investments funded by the Beacon Community Program," said Jason Kunzman, Senior Program Officer of the Health and Human Services ONC Beacon Community Program.  "From the outset, leaders in this community saw the connection between health IT and improving the way we pay for and deliver care—and the 2012 Innovations in Health Care Award is a testament to their hard work. We are eager to learn from their ongoing journey as they lead the way for other communities across the country."

The objectives of the Southeast Michigan Beacon Community are focused on increased standard testing and exams among patients diagnosed with diabetes; reducing non-urgent Emergency Department utilization among patients diagnosed with diabetes; and reducing disparities in treatment related to gender, insurer or race among patients diagnosed with diabetes in the cities of Detroit, Highland Park, Hamtramck, Dearborn, and Dearborn Heights in Wayne County. 

To achieve these goals, SEMBC has developed a unique series of innovative interventions, for example: txt4health (a mobile health service that allows individuals to use their cell phone to conduct a diabetes risk assessment and receive a curriculum of educational and interactive text messages), the recently announced development of BeaconLink2Health (an all-new Health Information Exchange (HIE) that will deliver exchange and population health management capabilities previously unavailable in Southeast Michigan), and ongoing clinical transformation work with 47 SEMBC-affiliated private practices and Federally Qualified Health Centers interacting with well over 185,000 patients, among other initiatives.

About the Southeast Michigan Beacon Community (SEMBC)
The Southeast Michigan Beacon Community is one (1) of seventeen (17) Beacon Communities that were established by the Office of the National Coordinator for Heath Information Technology (ONC).  Our goal is to build and strengthen community level health IT infrastructure and exchange capabilities that deliver measurable improvements in health care cost, quality and population health through the use and testing of new and innovative approaches to performance measurement, technology integration, and the delivery and coordination of care. 

Our efforts are focused on the use and adoption of HIT to enable patient-centered care and intervention strategies that promote improved diabetes care and self-management in the cities of Detroit, Highland Park, Hamtramck, Dearborn, and Dearborn Heights.  For more information, visit www.sembc.org.

About the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
For additional information about ONC program, visit http://HealthIT.HHS.gov.

Press Contact
Scott Turske
Communications Manager
Southeast Michigan Beacon Community
Office: 313-638-2885
Mobile: 248-892-3241
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Southeast Michigan Beacon Community