Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Blue Care Network, and 22 trauma centers throughout the state, in partnership with the American College of Surgeons, are launching an initiative aimed at improving quality and safety of care provided in Michigan’s trauma centers.

This initiative, called the Michigan Trauma Quality Improvement Program, will create a statewide infrastructure for trauma hospitals to measure and improve patient outcomes, identify best practices for quality and safety of care, and share data to make trauma care more effective. Each participating hospital will enroll in the national American College of Surgeons Trauma Quality Improvement Program.

According to the National Trauma Institute, “traumatic injury is a major public health problem in the U.S. Each year, trauma accounts for 37 million ED visits and 2.6 million hospital admissions.”

The initiative’s first phase launched in January 2011 with the following hospitals:

Borgess Medical Center, Kalamazoo

Bronson Methodist Hospital, Kalamazoo

Detroit Receiving Hospital, Detroit

Genesys Regional Medical Center, Grand Blanc

Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit

Hurley Medical Center, Flint

Marquette General Health System, Marquette

Munson Community Health Center, Traverse City

Regional Medical Center, Pontiac

DMC Sinai-Grace Hospital, Detroit

Sparrow Hospital, Lansing

St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Ann Arbor

University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor

William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak

By January 2012, eight more trauma centers will join the initiative, bringing the Michigan total to all of the state’s 22 verified Level 1 and 2 trauma centers.