The Pinnacle Awards process allows MAHP to demonstrate the ways in which Michigan's HMO plans are strengthening their clinical and operating efficiencies and effectiveness.
GLHP's winning categories were:

• Clinical Service Improvements: Healthy First StepsTM
• Health Care Technology: Affecting Positive Health Outcomes with Relational Databases
• Business/Operational Performance: One Call Resolution

Every health plan Pinnacle Award submission is subsequently entered into an ongoing database at MAHP that is used to provide information to the public and legislature about the quality projects and innovations in Michigan managed care.

This is the fourth straight year that GLHP has received a Pinnacle Award for best practices from MAHP.

Our goal was to increase provider awareness of services needed for a patient, better coordination of care, provide real time eligibility information, improve quality scores, reduce paperwork for office staff, and reduce printing and postage costs.

As a result, we have seen significant improvements in our HEDIS® and blood lead scores, reduction in ER usage by our high ER utilizers, and a savings of over $2,000 a month in printing and postage costs.

If you would like more information regarding OSCR, please contact Dawnyale Gillis at 248.331.4296.

The winners include:

• Southfield Pediatric Physicians, PC for their asthma education training program
• Oakwood Healthcare System Foundation for their blood lead testing program
• Synergy Medical for their program to reduce inappropriate emergency department visits
• Dr. Safa Abufarha for their diabetic education and care program
• Bronson Family Practice Downtown for their blood lead testing program
• Dr. Saljl Dua for their electronic medical records project
• Sanilac County Health Department for their blood lead poisoning prevention project
• Dr. Sami Abufarha for their Diabetic Education and Care program

"We are very excited to be able to provide these funds to help improve the overall health of our plan’s members and of the wider community," stated Chris A. Scherer, CEO/President of Great Lakes Health Plan.

Watch for announcements about future GLHP grant programs. They will be posted on www.glhp.com. Or you can contact Dawn Koehler at dkoehler@glhp.com and ask to be placed on the grant mailing list.

The Oakwood partnership also provides GLHP members with access to a state-of-the-art Breast Cancer Center in Dearborn. The new Breast Cancer Center is located directly across the street from Oakwood Hospital and Medical Center.

"GLHP's partnership with Oakwood represents a major increase in access, quality and the coordination of care to the underserved," said Chris Scherer, President of GLHP.

Great Lakes Health Plan facilitates comprehensive health care services for more than 140,000 beneficiaries of Michigan's Medicaid program. The company is a unit of AmeriChoice, the government programs segment of UnitedHealth Group. AmeriChoice covers nearly 1.4 million beneficiaries of Medicaid and similar government-sponsored health care programs in 13 states. UnitedHealth Group, a diversified health and well-being company, serves more than 70 million individuals nationwide.

"By employing the tenets of the AmeriChoice Personal Care Model™ and assigning the highest risk members a personal care manager (PCM), we were able to coordinate care and empower members with COPD," said GLHP Medical Director Dr. Steven Stein. "Through this process we were able to slow the progression of the disease, when possible, and improve or maintain the member’s quality of life."

Stein said the health plan’s winning program design consists of several key components:

• Identification and stratification of the members
• In-home assessments
• Patient education
• Ongoing support by respiratory therapists

"Our members reported a significant improvements in the quality of their lives," Stein said.

The MAHP Pinnacle Awards for Best Practices was created in 2001 to document the innovative change and quest for measurable quality improvement among Michigan managed care plans.

Judges included, Senators, Representatives, Press, the State’s Quality Director and various health care professional organizations.

PHPSW’s 30,000 Medicaid members in Berrien, Cass, Van Burn, Kalamazoo, Calhoun, Branch and St. Joseph Counties, transferred to GLHP on September 1, 2006. Through this acquisition GLHP expanded its service area into St. Joseph, Kalamazoo and Branch Counties and now covers 19 counties in the State of Michigan.

In addition, GLHP’s network has expanded to mirror the PHPSWM network of qualified physicians in this region; guaranteeing a seamless transfer for the members. The local Kalamazoo provider relations, member management, and health services staff will be maintained to continue to service the providers and members in this area.

The various categories include:

• Health Care Programs - Blood Lead Testing
• Health Care Programs - Patient Access to Care
• Disease Management – Asthma
• Disease Management – Diabetes
• Pharmacy Initiatives – Palm Pilots to ER physicians
• Pharmacy Initiatives – Computers for Physicians Offices

"Last year we granted over $25,000 for various programs in our first ever grant program, we are very excited to be able to provide funds again to help improve the overall health of our plan’s members and of the wider community," stated Chris A. Scherer, CEO/President of Great Lakes Health Plan.

The documents and instructions to submit a grant proposal can be found on the GLHP website www.glhp.com. The deadline for submission is April 30, 2006. GLHP will announce the winners by May 15, 2006.

If you have any questions regarding this program you can contact Dawn Koehler at 248.331.4227.

Great Lakes Health Plan facilitates comprehensive health care services for more than 100,000 beneficiaries of Michigan’s Medicaid program. The company is a subsidiary of AmeriChoice, the government programs unit of UnitedHealth Group.

For a contribution of at least $20 to the relief effort, GLHP employees are being allowed to wear jeans to work all this month. More than $3,020 was collected in this way from the health plan’s 146 employees. In addition, employees held a clothing drive to support a fellow staff member’s family affected by the hurricane. Close to thirty large bags of clothes were collected for the family of 20.

The local effort is in addition to the $10 million donated to disaster relief by United Health Foundation, an independent, not-for-profit foundation funded solely by UnitedHealth Group, of which Great Lakes Health Plan is a part.

UnitedHealth Group also is providing a free crisis hotline to individuals affected by the hurricane. Callers who have suffered physical trauma or symptoms can speak to a nurse who will provide health education and decision support regarding the need for medical treatment. The service is available to anyone in the region affected by the storm, regardless of whether or not they are insured by a UnitedHealth Group company.

The company’s UnitedHealthcare segment also has announced several other steps to help its customers in the area cope with the aftermath of the disaster.

Chris Scherer, President of the Medicaid health plan here said that even though their parent company was being so generous and responsive, the employees had decided to act because so many of the victims are just like the people they serve in Michigan. "The ones who seem to be suffering most are those who have the least resources and are in the poorest health, just like some of our members," he said.

About Great Lakes Health Plan
Great Lakes Health Plan is part of AmeriChoice, the country’s premier provider of high quality, personalized public sector health care programs, serving more than 1.2 million beneficiaries in 13 states, including nearly 108,000 Michigan Medicaid members in the following counties: Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Saginaw, Huron, Tuscola, Sanilac, St. Clair, Livingston, Lenawee, Jackson, Hillsdale, Calhoun, Van Buren, Cass, and Berrien. AmeriChoice is a business unit of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 company that provides a full spectrum of resources and services to help people achieve improved health and well-being through all stages of life. For more information about Great Lakes Health Plan, call 1.800.903.5253 or visit www.americhoice.com.

GLHP’s program has resulted in a 13.4% decline in hospital admissions for the 3,200 members who have participated in the special program since it began in 2003.

The program, based on guidelines from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, the World Health Organization and the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD), provides members with personalized, one-on-one assistance from respiratory therapists.

The therapists work closely with GLHP case managers, the members’ physicians and other health care practitioners to develop personalized programs for the members based on their individual needs, living conditions and support systems. The therapists make home visits or contact members by phone, depending on the severity of the member’s condition. During these contacts, they assess the member’s symptoms and medication regimen and prepare a report for the person’s physician.

The member is also given a COPD self-management guide that contains individually tailored information on seasonal changes affecting COPD and suggested lifestyle changes to improve health, exercise and breathing techniques. The therapists help members understand and manage their condition by recognizing symptoms and learning how to relieve them effectively. The therapists remain in regular contact with members to ensure that they keep doctors’ appointments and follow their individual care plan.

"We’re very pleased with this program. The therapists are there to help members understand and manage their condition through self-management guides, which is why this program has been so effective." said Steven Stein, M.D., medical director of Great Lakes Health Plan.

About Great Lakes Health Plan
Great Lakes Health Plan facilitates comprehensive health care services for more than 100,000 beneficiaries of Michigan’s Medicaid program. The company is a unit of AmeriChoice, the public sector health care segment of UnitedHealth Group. AmeriChoice, the country’s premier provider of high quality, personalized public sector health care programs, serves more than 1.2 million Medicaid, Medicare and CHIP beneficiaries in 13 states. UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) is a diversified Fortune 100 company that provides a full spectrum of resources and services to help people achieve improved health and well-being through all stages of life.

GLHP is creatively finding ways to reach all of its qualified members in its 16 county service area which includes Lenawee, Jackson and Hillsdale. "We want to help eliminate blood lead poisoning in our children and the first step is to test them”, said Dr. Steven Stein, Medical Director for GLHP. “We need to protect our children from the significant health threats of lead poisoning".

It is recommended that all children under the age of 3 be tested for possible lead poisoning. Although lead paint was banned for residential use, lead remained a gasoline additive until the late 1980s and can still be found in soil and dust from gasoline exhaust.

"This partnership with the Tri-County Community Action Agency makes great sense since many of our members also obtain assistance through the WIC programs", said Chris Scherer, President of GLHP. "With everyone working together we can help reduce lead poisoning statewide".

GLHP also provides an incentive to its primary care physicians for blood lead testing. For more information regarding this program or the primary care incentive, please contact Lisa Gray, Director of Provider Services at 248.331.4322.

Great Lakes Health Plan facilitates comprehensive health care services for more than 100,000 beneficiaries of Michigan’s Medicaid program. The company is a subsidiary of AmeriChoice, the government programs unit of UnitedHealth Group.