Background Articles
The Michigan Back Collaborative is the newest addition to the very successful set of statewide quality improvement collaboratives supported by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. The collaborative quality improvement model (CQI) has been in place since the late 1990s, and has its roots in the Northern New England Cardiovascular Disease Study Group that started its work in the 1970s. The CQI model has a number of unique features that will be embodied in MIBAC as MIBAC gets established and matures. The background readings here provide more information on the CQI model and also some key information on diagnosis and treatment issues in low back pain.