A report released today by the Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation (CHRT) on the use of health care services in Michigan shows a high degree of variation in the use of certain tests and procedures—including back surgery, Cesarean section, hysterectomy, and angioplasty—among different regions throughout the state. The “Thumb”/Saginaw area had among the highest use rates for all procedures studied. The use of medication for pediatric attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) also varied widely from region to region, with the Grosse Pointe, Grand Haven, and Kalamazoo areas having the highest reported rates in the study.

CHRTBook: Health Care Variation in Michigan compares the state’s Blue Cross commercially insured population to the Medicare population, and looks at changes within the commercial population in overall use and geographic variation over the past 10 years. It was modeled after the groundbreaking Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care study.

“Geographic variation has been well-documented nationally and was a significant topic of discussion during the debate on health reform,” said Marianne Udow Phillips, director, Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation. “Developing a better understanding of variation in the use of health care services could support state and national efforts to improve quality and contain costs in the health care system.”

The report depicts an improving picture in some key areas, showing notable reductions in overall use for some procedures often considered to be “over-utilized.” For example, while rates of coronary angiography and angioplasty procedures have increased nationally, they have decreased for Michigan’s Blue Cross commercial population. This improvement may be the result of a statewide cardiovascular quality collaborative, launched in 1996 by Blue Cross and hospitals throughout the state to improve safety and outcomes for patients undergoing angioplasty.Continue Reading CHRT Report Shows Patterns of Health Practice Vary Across Michigan