Through collaborative quality initiatives sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and the Blue Care Network (BCBSM/BCN), Michigan physicians and hospitals are working together and proving that collaboration is indeed a powerful model for saving both lives and dollars for patients throughout Michigan. In one Michigan CQI, hospital deaths following angioplasty and other minimally invasive heart procedures declined 32 percent over five years. Another Michigan CQI saved more than $13 million in one year by reducing the rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia by 29 percent. Physicians from BCBSM/BCN and the University of Michigan Health System (UMHS) showcased the successes and strategies behind these initiatives at a June 4 health care quality symposium sponsored by CHRT. Executive director of CHRT, Marianne Udow-Phillips, presented at the symposium.