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M-CARE joins the Michigan effort to reduce medical errors. M-CARE is committed to our member's safety and has been working collaboratively with other health plans in Michigan to develop and implement a common safety program for member and provider education.

Detailed information regarding M-CARE's efforts with the LeapFrog and the Michigan Health and Safety Coalition are outlined on our website. Some of the areas that are addressed are:

• Medicines
• Hospital stays
• Surgery
• Other steps

At www.mcare.org members can go to the Members section and click on Health Care Quality and Patient Safety for the areas such as:

• Speak Up About Health Care Errors
• The Michigan Health and Safety Coalition Overview
• Hospital Safety Survey Results
• The Leapfrog Group Overview
• M-CARE's Quality Recognition Program which acknowledges those doctors who provide members with the preventive care they need to stay healthy.
• M-CARE Pharmacy Services
• Patient Safety Websites.

M-CARE was acknowledged by the National Business Coalition on Health Organization as the number one HMO website in Michigan for its outstanding information to members on Patient Safety.

Our Director of Quality Initiatives, Linda Ziesmer, is our patient safety officer. M-CARE has implemented Drug Utilization Review programs as well as five Disease Management Programs. (Diabetes, Asthma, Cardiovascular Disease, Congestive Heart Failure and Depression). M-CARE communicates continuously with its doctors through our Provider Newsletter and other PCP communications to insure that they are kept abreast of continuing changes with guidelines, quality reporting and patient information.

M-CARE's outstanding practices can be viewed on our website at www.mcare.org.