Thursday, March 22, 2012: The Best Health Care Money Can Buy

Lawrence Technological University – UTLC Gallery
21000 West 10 Mile Rd. | Southfield, MI 48075
Click here for directions

Registration & Networking: 7:30 AM
Discussion/Q&A: 8 – 9 AM
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The U.S. is moving from a volume-based to a value-based health care system where hospitals and other care providers are paid based on how well they provide care, rather than how much care they provide. Just like when buying a car, health care consumers, and those who pay their health care bills, are looking for high value defined as high quality at low cost. How is this affecting hospitals – especially during an age of transparency where cost, quality and service performance data is readily available on public websites?

The basic premise is to align patients’ out-of-pocket costs, such as copays and premiums, with the value of health services. This approach to designing benefit plans recognizes that different health services have different levels of value. By reducing barriers to high-value treatments (through lower costs to patients) and discouraging low-value treatments (through higher costs to patients), these plans can achieve improved health outcomes at any level of health care expenditure.

Brought to you in part by: WWJ Newsradio 950, Lawrence Technological University and Oakland County’s Medical Main Street .

Medical Mainstreet is an alliance of hospitals, universities, medical device firms, biopharma companies and top medical professionals working to create a global center of innovative health care, research and development, education and commercialization.

Scheduled to attend:
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-Mary Ann Tournoux, Senior Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer, HAP*
*subject to change.

Attendance is FREE! Complete the form below to pre-register to attend the March 22nd Last Thursday UnWIRED event!

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John Francis Lechner, 64, of Sault Ste. Marie pleaded guilty Tuesday to possessing explosives while under indictment. Four other counts were dismissed.

Lechner could get up to 10 years in prison when sentenced May 25.

A federal agent said in an affidavit last year that an informant tipped off the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Department about helping Lechner move a variety of explosives.

The agent said he obtained a search warrant and found 83 bags of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil, plus a supply of explosive boosters, detonating cord and blasting caps.

“For reasons that are completely unexplained, the defendant was in possession of 4,000 pounds of explosives with enough blasting caps, detonator cord and boosters to ignite that,” U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy Greeley previously said.

Lechner had applied for a permit to legally possess the explosive in the past, but was never granted one, according to Timothy DeClare, a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

It wasn’t specified what authorities believed Lechner intended to do with the explosives, but they claim he had made anti-government statements. Lechner’s attorney said he obtained the materials years ago for construction projects.

TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The 2011 American League MVP and Cy Young Award Winner Justin Verlander is featured on the front of a brown box throwing a pitch under the cereal’s title “Fastball Flakes.”

Doug Ritchart, spokesperson for the company who designed the product and the box, said the cereal is frosted corn flakes.

“It kind of has that old-school baseball feel because on the front of the box, the words ‘Fastball Flakes’ is in that old-school baseball script,” said Ritchart.

The 14-ounce limited edition collector’s box features a custom photo of Verlander, a printed signature and his stats. The cereal is being sold at Meijer stores in the Detroit, Lansing, Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids areas.

All the funds raised will be donated to the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center in Detroit and the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System.

“Our goal is to sell over 150,000 boxes but we wont know, as far as what that turns out to be financially, until we’re a little bit further into the program,” he said.

And, if the cereal isn’t enough for you, there’s even a “Fastball Flakes” t-shirt that you can buy. If you can’t make it to a Meijer location, you can also order the products online. For more information, visit www.plbsports.com.

West Bloomfield Fire Chief Jay Wiseman said the driver of the SUV was involved in an accident at Green Lake and Commerce roads around 9:50 a.m. and veered into the building.

The SUV driver wasn’t hurt.  Although the salon had people inside, no one was injured.

Investigators say the driver of the SUV was ticketed.

The building had structural damage and members of the West Bloomfield Fire Department’s Technical Rescue Team were called to the scene to stabilize the structure and prevent further collapse of the building.

The entire first paragraph is ridiculous. The Red Wings lost on the road to the Blackhawks and there are some who wonder if Joey MacDonald should start between the pipes at the Joe against Vancouver, as if preserving the streak is paramount. First of all, it isn’t. Second of all the Red Wings are completely accustomed to losing on the road. They certainly should be. They are 15-16-1 away from Detroit, and Joey Mac had some of those.

It wouldn’t be Detroit if there were not a goalie controversy but on this one shut up. Just because you only watched a couple of games during the streak this season doesn’t mean than Joey Mac was having a better season than Howard. The vast majority of the now fabled streak came with 35 in net and any fantasies of a deep playoff run hang on his ability.

The streak is meaningless and I would rather it go away now. It has become a distraction and needs to end. For some fans the streak has become the symbolic equivalent of the One Ring, and we are foolishly putting the season in danger only to protect the precious. Why would you want to start Joey Mac when your All Star goalie is back and healthy? Howard is used to playing almost every game and he thrived in the first half of the season. Why would we suddenly limit his playing time with Ty Conklin out of town?

Let’s not forget that athletes are fickle. Much of their ability comes from confidence and the great athletes always want to be in the game. Heck, even the lousy athletes would rather not ride the bench. Forcing Howard to ride the pine for Joey Mac would send the wrong message to him and the team. Two years ago we pushed the chips in on Howard. He is our boy. We winced when he gave up easy goals and internalized our screaming. We knew that if we were patient, Jimmy Howard could be an All Star.

This year, Howard became an All Star. Mazeltof! So now let’s sit him down? After the growing pains? After he would play spectacularly all game and let an easy one through? Now we want to sit him? Am I the only one who thinks this sounds crazy? I understand that you might want to go with the hot hand, but you don’t sit an All Star because the backup had a string of good games at home!

This is taking away nothing from Joey Mac. He has done a phenomenal job this season. Largely everyone thought that if Howard went down the Red Wings were toast. News his finger injury were met with reactions that ranged from despair to surrender. Joey Mac was the unexpected story and a thrill to watch. For that he is not the backup goalie for the Detroit Red Wings. This is a happy ending. He doesn’t have to live in Grand Rapids anymore and that is a prize worth a ream of lottery tickets.

So slow down, take a breath and let’s just calm everything down. If the streak ends with Vancouver let’s take it in stride. Let’s not start thrumming the bass drum and chanting for Joey Mac. We haven’t had an uncontested goal tender in a really long time and let’s not start tapping our feet now. Believe it or not fan enthusiasm really does affect these things and if we start openly questioning Howard’s abilities this season could be flushed out with quickness.

I can’t believe I am saying this because it will fall on deaf ears but Red Wings fans: be patient.

Tax-Aide, in its 44th year, is the nation’s largest free tax assistance and preparation service, giving special attention to the older population. You do not need to be a member of AARP or a retiree to use this service.

“People definitely rely on this service,” said Calvin Strom, coordinator of Tax-Aide in Michigan. “We provide a tremendous benefit in terms of refund money to clients. The numbers are phenomenal.”

Michigan taxpayers using Tax-Aide collected over $25 million in refunds last year, Strom said.

In 2011, AARP Foundation Tax-Aide’s 35,000 volunteers at 6,100 sites across the country provided 2.6 million people with free tax help. Taxpayers who used AARP Foundation Tax-Aide received $1.3 billion in income tax refunds and more than $228 million in Earned Income Tax Credits (EITCs).

In Michigan, 872 AARP Tax-Aide volunteers helped more than 76,000 people file their federal and state tax returns last year. The program is offered at approximately 180 sites in Michigan, including senior centers, libraries and other convenient locations.

For more information or to locate an AARP Foundation Tax-Aide site, call 1-888-AARPNOW (1-888-227-7669) or visit www.aarp.org/taxaide. AARP Foundation Tax-Aide is a program of AARP Foundation, offered in cooperation with the IRS.

A new poll shows Michigan chooses the Tigers as their favorite professional sports team in the state.

Results from Public Policy Poling show: The Tigers get 29 percent of the vote; the Lions get 27 percent; the Wings get 20 percent; and the Pistons, 6 percent. 

The poll also shows there’s a significant racial divide in who voters pick as their favorite teams. Among white voters the Tigers win easily with 33 percent to 24 percent for the Lions, 22 percent for the Red Wings, and just 3 percent for the Pistons. But among black voters the Tigers take up the basement at 5 percent, trailing the Lions at 54 percent, Pistons at 23 percent, and even the Red Wings at 8 percent.

That’s just another sign that baseball has a lot of work to do to garner interest from African Americans.

It’s also notable in this highly political season that Republicans pick the Tigers over the Lions 36-27, while Democrats pick the Lions over the Tigers 32-24.

In other stats:

* 37 percent of voters in the state say they’re Michigan fans to 31 percent who side with Michigan State and 32 percent who don’t care either way. There is somewhat of an ideological divide on this question. ‘Very liberal’ Michiganders pick the Wolverines 55-26, while ‘very conservative’ ones pick the Spartans 37-30. White voters are pretty evenly split, going for Michigan 34-32, but 53-22 support from black voters pushes the Maize and Blue’s lead out to 6 points.

-Michigan State and Michigan fans are both pretty happy with their football coaches. Brady Hoke gets a 64/6 approval rating from Michigan fans, and Mark Dantonio does even better with Spartan partisans at a 68/4 approval. The Wolverine fan base has softened its opinions on Rich Rodriguez a little bit since his departure last year. He’s still unpopular, with only 26% of fans seeing him favorably to 32% with a negative opinion. But it’s an improvement from December of 2010 when his favorability breakdown was 20/38. Rodriguez’s Michigan poll numbers are certainly a lot better than in West Virginia where we found him at 15/56 last year.

-Tom Izzo has a 78/3 approval rating with the MSU fan base. Suffice it to say we don’t find many people from any walk of life hitting 78% in our polling. John Beilein’s at only 39/8 with Michigan fans, 53% of whom have no opinion about him. Getting Michigan back to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 18 years might be what he needs to get the fan base to take notice.

The full analysis is also available here.

The National Weather Service issued a severe weather alert for Thursday night and  Friday morning for the entire region. Madaus said metro Detroit should expect a few inches of snow Thursday night and into Friday morning, with at least 2-3 inches and maybe more.

And that won’t be the end.

“About 5 a.m. Friday it will let up, then 7 a.m. it will pick up again with maybe another inch or two,” Madaus said.

Madaus said commuters should expect the bad stuff to hit at 7 p.m. Thursday, the tail end of the afternoon commute, and start again in time for the Friday morning commute. Drivers should plan ahead.

The National Weather Service describes it as a strengthening low pressure system that will track across the Great Lakes and bring a widespread area of precipitation.

“This precipitation may begin as a mix of rain and snow…before transitioning,” the service said in a press release.

There’s the potential for up to 6 inches, the Weather Service said.

“It looks like four or more inches,” Madaus said. “Most of it’s going to happen overnight, so it will definitely affect the morning drive.”

Check CBS Detroit Thursday and Friday for a complete list of school closings.

“This is part of America,” said Akerson has he helped kick off the new program, with a one million dollar donation. “Detroit is a great American city. As Detroiter’s, we want to see it built back up.”

Akerson says the idea of the donation came as he and his wife Karin were trying to decide how best to celebrate their 40th anniversary. He says they came up with a better option than giving each other gifts.

“We would try to help others, as a gift to one another and this community,” he said in the ceremony at J.E. Clark Preparatory Academy in the Morningside Commons neighborhood. Just a few miles from the wealthy Grosse Pointes, this is a neighborhood filled with abandoned houses and empty lots.

“When I first came here, the only city I’ve ever seen with such destruction, when I was in the service I went to East Berlin before the wall came down,” said Akerson.

The one million dollar gift is a start toward raising $25 million for a program called “Leaders to Rebuild Detroit.” The money will be used to build new homes, as part of Habitat for Humanity, and to repair existing homes.

They will also use the money to counsel people who are trying to buy homes.

Akerson tied in the assistance that he and General Motors are giving to Detroit with the assistance the federal government gave to GM and Chrysler.

“You can debate this forever, and I’m sure it will be for some time, but facts are facts, it worked,” he said.

The proof, says Akerson, comes in the record profits posted by GM just last week.

The bailout has become a point of contention in the Michigan primary, receiving criticism from all of the Republican candidates But, Akerson pointed out that two presidents with very different philosophies agreed to help the auto industry.

Akerson says the aid given to GM and Chrysler helped save American jobs and American communities.

“What can be wrong about that, regardless of what party affiliation you’re in.”

Connect with Jeff Gilbert
Email: jdgilbert@cbs.com
Twitter: @jefferygilbert
Facebook: facebook.com/carchronicles

Rick Nash wears the “C” on his jersey as captain of Columbus. These days, the letter stands more for, coveted.

The NHL trade deadline is Monday and no player has been dangled as bait like Nash, the Blue Jackets’ 27-year-old star forward, and the greatest player in franchise history. He’s done it all in Columbus — except turn the team into a winner. With the Blue Jackets floundering as the worst team in the league, the Nash era could be over in Ohio by this time next week, and the list of potential suitors seems to run as long as the list of playoff contenders.

Columbus’ visit to the Eastern Conference last week saw the trade rumors fly at light speed. Columbus general manager Scott Howson had a chat with Philadelphia Flyers GM Paul Holmgren. And Nash faced a media crush in New York, with everyone curious to learn if he’d be willing to trade the leisurely life in Columbus for the bright lights and Stanley Cup expectations in the Big Apple.

Could Nash be the franchise-shifter that turns a contender into a champion?

“Right now I’m a Blue Jacket,” Nash said in New York. “And that’s what matters.”

Columbus is ready to rebuild and could restock the roster with prospects and future draft choices for Nash, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 draft.

Nash is signed through the 2014-15 season, and carries an annual salary cap hit of $7.8 million.

Howson refused to comment when asked if anyone on his team is untouchable.

With 18 wins and 43 points entering Wednesday night, it seems every veteran on Columbus could be available.

“Everybody’s got a good handle now. There’s only six days left on where they are, what they need,” Howson said. “There’s still some uncertainty about whether some teams are selling or buying or staying pat.”

Nash enjoys Columbus and would like to stay, but he also recognizes that the NHL is a business, and even star players get traded, or at least shopped. Potential landing spots include the improved Los Angeles Kings (needs offense; could offer goalie Jonathan Bernier), Toronto (which covets a native son who could be the face of the organization), the Flyers and Rangers.

Unlike previous seasons, when the Blue Jackets were always near the bottom of the salary cap, they are near the top this season in spending. And for that, they easily have the worst record in the NHL.

Nash is far from the only big name Blue Jacket on the block. Jeff Carter, acquired in a ballyhooed deal from the Flyers last summer, has been a bust in Columbus. He was unhappy the Flyers traded him and has missed chunks of this season with a separated shoulder and a broken foot. He could find his bliss if he’s reunited with former Philadelphia running buddy, Mike Richards, in Los Angeles.

Nashville defenseman Ryan Suter, Maple Leafs defenseman Luke Schenn, and Anaheim forwards Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan could find new homes by the time deadline day is over, as well.

While the trade deadline is fun for fans who mix and match salary cap numbers and wish a superstar will push their team into the Stanley Cup finals, the reality is, trade rumors are just that.

Rumors.

“History tells you there’s going to be moves, but most of them will probably be depth moves,” Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said. “Everybody focuses on the sexy, higher-profile names, but most of the time, nothing happens with those guys. It ends up being the veteran players who can give an organization depth that everyone is looking for because of the parity in the league.”

The Washington Capitals expected scoring punch on the blue line and needed depth for the stretch run last season when they acquired Dennis Wideman, Jason Arnott and Marco Sturm. They gave the team a lift — the Caps had a nine-game winning streak into mid-March — just not the Cup.

Capitals general manager George McPhee then went out and made other additions last summer — goaltender Tomas Vokoun among them — in the hope that Washington can snare that elusive title. But the Capitals wouldn’t have even made the playoffs, if the season ended Tuesday night.

So, clearly, McPhee’s decisions down the stretch could determine whether he keeps his job.

Owner Ted Leonsis posted on his blog recently: “hope we can add some jump via the trade markets during the next few weeks. Go Caps!”

No pressure, George.

It’s not as easy as just trading a few pieces for a star. Aside from salary cap considerations, a team like the Rangers has to decide if it’s worth surrendering a piece like Brandon Dubinsky, key in their run to the top of the East, for Nash. The Bruins are playing again like a Stanley Cup champion. Does general manager Peter Chiarelli want to mess around with a wildly successful team’s chemistry going into the trade deadline?

“I think that’s probably my priority when I look to add something. I do want to add something, and I’d like to help the team,” he said. “I’d like to add to our depth. But that’s a priority. It’s a fine balance, chemistry, and you have to be careful.”

The risk can be worth it.

The Penguins scored big last season when they acquired forward James Neal, and he’s turned into their most reliable scorer behind Evgeni Malkin. Any deal this season would be limited to providing depth. The Penguins figure no trade could be better than the return of injured captain Sidney Crosby, who hasn’t played since Dec. 5 due to a recurrence of concussion-like symptoms. Crosby is skating, but has not been cleared for contact. He remains optimistic he can play again this season and his return would far outweigh anything Pittsburgh could get in a trade.

But for teams like New York, Philadelphia and others, the chance to land Nash could make all the difference between finishing in April or June.

____

AP Sports Writers Rusty Miller in Columbus, Ohio, Larry Lage in Detroit, Joseph White in Washington, Jimmy Golen in Boston, and Will Graves in Pittsburgh contributed to this report.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)