Since 2021, MIBAC has been on a mission to:
Ensure patients with low back pain receive the best possible care.
Acute Back Pain is a Global Concern
When you think of serious, disabling health conditions, you probably don't think about back pain. However, back pain is a common condition that up to 80% of people in the U.S. will experience in their lifetime. In fact, it is the leading cause of disability globally.
-Hoy D, et al. (2014). Retrieved from: https://ard.bmj.com/content/73/6/968.
Our Story
Low back pain can be frustrating for both patients and clinicians. There is often no single cause for the pain that can be “fixed” with one simple approach to treatment. There can be unnecessary imaging studies and referrals, utilization of unproven therapies, overusing opioids, and dissatisfied patients who never get effective pain relief.
The Michigan Back Collaborative (MIBAC) is a statewide Collaborative Quality Initiative (CQI) with an initial focus on better care for low back pain within the first 6 months of an episode or acute flare of back pain. We are proud to partner with almost Chiropractors - both within Physician Organizations (POs) and independent practices. We also partner with 10 POs to support their chiropractic members. Our participants collect valuable Patient Reported Outcomes (PROs) for our registry database that will allow us to investigate interventions that correlate with the best patient outcomes. We hope to utilize claims-based data to further reinforce our analysis and spread those best practices across the collaborative. In addition to analyzing data, MIBAC works with our multidisciplinary leadership team and Executive Committee to provide current, evidence-based educational opportunities to our participating Chiropractors.
MIBAC is a population health Collaborative Quality Initiative supported by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan*. The Coordinating Center is housed at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, MI.
What does a MIBAC participant do?
Below is a summary of the program activities for 2025. The VBR Scorecards (visit “Resources” > “QI Participation” for details) contain the full criteria for eligibility.
Patient Surveys: Chiropractors participating in MIBAC facilitate the completion of patient-facing surveys at the first visit for acute back pain. These surveys provide valuable information on patient outcomes, to support the value of chiropractic care and show correlations between various factors and outcomes for further evaluation.
Education: MIBAC offers participants unique clinical vignette-style learning in two seasons. These cases are built by our clinical leadership team, consisting of multiple chiropractors in addition to primary care, physiatry, physical therapy, and behavioral health, alongside the experts at QURE healthcare. These sessions are offered free-of-charge for active program participants, and CE is available for purchase via the Michigan Association of Chiropractors (MAC).
Risk Stratification: Most chiropractors are familiar with the Keele STarT Back tool. In addition to utilizing this survey for patient enrollment, participating chiropractors can earn additional points for following certain steps (patient completes the survey before the visit, the clinician scores the survey and reviews it with the patient, the MIBAC Modified Treatment Plan (MTP) is reviewed for guidance, and the clinician documents their treatment rationale) to combine risk stratification with a treatment pathway. The STarT Back tool and initial visit note are faxed to the MIBAC Coordinating Center after the visit. This pathway does not override the clinician’s clinical judgement, but provides a baseline of standard recommendations based on risk.
Meetings: MIBAC offers four meetings throughout the year for program participants. Two meetings are in-person (planned for Lansing in May and Metro Detroit in November), and the other two are virtual (March and September). Attendance in real-time with active participation (on-camera, responding to polls during the meeting, etc.) provides VBR points, or the clinician can opt for asynchronous attendance with a post-test for partial points.
Other: General requirements include responding to communications from the Coordinating Center in a timely fashion and keeping us up-to-date when your contact information changes.
*Statement from Blue Cross Blue Shield Blue of Michigan
Support for the Michigan Back Collaborative (MIBAC) CQI is provided by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) as part of the BCBSM Value Partnerships program. To learn more about Value Partnerships, visit www.valuepartnerships.com. The MIBAC Coordinating Center is housed at Henry Ford Health System. Although Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and MIBAC work collaboratively, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of BCBSM or any of its employees.