• To stimulate health plans to achieve prevention and public health goals, in conjunction with their communities;
• To link health plan initiatives in disease management, with emphasis on assessing outcomes and disseminating findings; and
• To create better alignment between medical and allied medical training programs and managed care approaches.

In 1999, the MAHP Foundation collaborated with the Michigan Department of Community Health to address the growing burden diabetes in Michigan, developing tools for health plans and resources for health plan providers and members.  By 2003, that collaboration grew to include several chronic disease projects addressing asthma, cancer, diabetes, overweight and obesity, stroke and tobacco use.  These projects established the MAHP Foundation’s leading role in programs that help health plans and providers to prevent and manage chronic disease.   The MAHP Foundation continues to offer resource materials to health plans and providers to use in member education.  In 2007, member health plans and their providers used nearly 20,000 pieces of resource materials, including educational brochures, foot test cards for people with diabetes, management plan forms for people with asthma, cancer screening reminder postcards, and other materials.

Foundation projects in recent years have included a survey of health plan members to identify factors that were barriers or motivators to colorectal cancer screening; an examination of the relationship between school health centers and health plans; development of a consensus plan to advocate improvements in Medicaid maternal child health.  With the MSU Institute for Health Care Studies, the MAHP Foundation recently examined the outcomes of Medicaid patients who have had bariatric surgery.  Currently, the Foundation is working with Toorrows Child to improve infant safe sleep education in primary care practices identified by health plans.

In 2007, the MAHP Foundation was provisionally accredited to offer continuing medical education programs and offered two programs, including the Best Practices Forum, featuring discussion of programs recognized with the MAHP Pinnacle Award. 

The MAHP Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.  MAHP members and friends can support the Foundation’s activities in several ways.  Active participation in the Foundation’s CME programs and other events strengthens the case for outside grants to fund these activities.  Direct donations will help the Foundation to build and maintain the capacity to seek grants and engage in programming to promote the best in managed care.  A simple way to support the Foundation is through our online merchant program that links to dozens of popular online stores who direct a percentage of the purchase price to the MAHP Foundation.