Health Check

We are grateful to Linda Lewandowski, Ph.D., dean of the Kirkhof College of Nursing; and Diana Lawson, Ph.D., dean of the Seidman College of Business, for their support, along with funding from Grand Valley State University. We also thank Anita Jones, undergraduate nursing program assistant, Kirkhof College of Nursing, for her support and coordination of this project and Kayla Grabau-Baer, office and events coordinator, Seidman College of Business, for her work on the e-publication.

The publication authors especially thank Priority Health, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, and Blue Care Network for providing the average cost data. In particular, the following persons were invaluable for providing timely feedback and suggestions: Danielle Gritters, data & analytics advisor, Priority Health; Elizabeth Katt, business intelligence developer advisor, Priority Health; Brian Beezhold, data architect, Priority Health; Peter Hunsberger, senior director, data science and advanced analytics, Priority Health; Shannon Wilson, vice president, population health and health equity, Priority Health; Karena Weikel, senior vice president, advanced analytics and chief actuary, Priority Health; Peter Albert, manager, HCV strategy, informatics, and program performance, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network; Dr. Androni Henry, senior medical director and associate chief medical officer, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan; Kelsey Turner, health care analyst, HCV analytics and insights, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network; David O. Brown, director, provider relations West Michigan, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network; Pamela Sylvester, team leader II, provider relations West Michigan, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network; Shlynn Rhodes, administrative manager, performance and analytics, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan; and Cherie Ledbetter, health care manager, HCV business analytic services, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network.

We also thank Yan Tian, Ph.D., M.S., from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, for providing the prevalence estimates of various behaviors and medical conditions from the Michigan Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (MiBRFSS).

All the data used in this project are based on primary and secondary sources. We acknowledge our data sources in each section by listing source information; these sources are not duplicated or specifically cited in text discussions to preserve readability.

We are particularly indebted to the following organizations for use of their data:

American Hospital Association

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), based on CDC protocol and the Michigan BRFSS

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

Michigan Department of Community Health

Michigan Department of Health and Human Services

Michigan Health and Hospital Association

Michigan Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives

U.S. Census Bureau

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

United States Patent and Trademark Office

Wharton Research Data Services

World Intellectual Property Organization