Committees & Councils

MHA Committees, Councils and Task Forces

Participation in an MHA committee, council, or task force provides MHA members with the opportunity to influence and shape policy-making decisions for the association. Nominations for the current cycle are now closed. The call to serve on committees, councils, and task force will reopen from May 6 to June 3, 2024.

MHA members who participate in an MHA committee, council or task force may influence and guide policymaking decisions for the association. Each committee, council and task force has a very specific purpose as outlined below:

• MHA Committees focus primarily on programmatic issues.
• MHA Councils explore and examine issues unique to a specific group within the MHA membership.
• MHA Task Forces formed for a limited time, under the direction of the MHA Board or by a given committee, to address a specific issue.
• PHA Committees provide nonbinding input on BCBSM PHA activities including billing, payment practices, utilization management and quality assurance.

The MHA also establishes work groups as necessary or when input on a particular issue is deemed essential.

MHA Councils and Committees

Behavioral Health Integration Council

The Behavioral Health Integration Council guides the MHA’s policy efforts for behavioral and physical health integration. They develop recommendations addressing access to behavioral healthcare services and foster integration with the greater healthcare delivery system.
Lauren LaPine

Chief Financial Officer Council

The Chief Financial Officer Council identifies and analyzes finance policy and payer matters that affect MHA member hospitals and health systems. In addition, the council develops and recommends strategies to address identified issues based on the MHA Board of Trustees’ priorities.
Jason Jorkasky

Chief Quality Officer Council

The Chief Quality Officer (CQO) Council is composed of individuals who focus on the unique is-sues associated with overseeing, managing, and providing strategic direction while leading the quality and safety of patient care and related services within the healthcare organization. This council will provide a forum to assemble, promote and advance the role of CQOs. They facilitate shared learning, utilize evidence based best practices and provide insight, advice and recommendations to the MHA and the MHA governing boards, the Keystone Center and serve as a catalyst for the delivery of safe care.
Gary L. Roth, DO, MBA

Council On Children’s Health

The Council on Children’s Health focuses on issues unique to the advancement of children’s health in Michigan.
Elizabeth Kutter

Health Equity Council

The MHA Health Equity Council is charged with providing guidance and perspectives related to health equity, which will inform the development of strategic priorities by the MHA Board of Trustees and the MHA Keystone Center Board across the association’s annual action plans. Lever-aging quality improvement as a tool for advancing equity in health and healthcare, the council will inform the identification of priorities and execution of interventions – both across association and membership operations – that improve the delivery of equitable, safe and quality care.
Sarah Scranton

Health Finance Committee

The Health Finance Committee works with the MHA to identify and analyze finance policy, payer matters and operational issues that impact the financial performance of hospitals and health systems. The committee also develops and recommends strategies for issue resolution to the MHA Chief Financial Officer Council as needed in alignment with the MHA Board of Trustees’ priorities
Vickie Kunz

Health Information Technology Strategy Committee

The Health Information Technology Strategy Committee identifies and develops strategies to help the MHA and its members with health information technology issues by reviewing regulatory and industry trends with significant implications for member hospitals and health systems.
Jim Lee

Human Resources & Workforce Council

The Human Resources (HR) & Workforce Council advances the mission of the MHA as well as the role of HR leaders by providing input on legislative and regulatory issues relevant to healthcare employers, including diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, workplace safety and workforce development. The council offers networking and educational opportunities for HR professionals, dissemination of best practices and data collection and reporting related to hospital and health system workforce metrics.
Nancy McKeague and Rob Wood

Legislative Policy Panel

The Legislative Policy Panel identifies and analyzes healthcare legislation impacting MHA members and Michigan’s healthcare community. It also recommends formal association positions on legislation and helps guide association advocacy efforts based on the MHA Board of Trustees’ legislative and political priorities.
Adam Carlson

Michigan Green Healthcare Committee

The Michigan Green Healthcare Committee operates virtually, providing an online platform to promote sustainable strategies for healthcare facilities and generate new ideas and initiatives to respond to emerging needs or concerns and meet environmental, economic, and social objectives.
Erica Leyko

Person & Family Engagement Advisory Council

The Person & Family Engagement Advisory Council promotes and accelerates person and family engagement and the principles of person-and family-centered care in Michigan hospitals and gives a voice to patients and families within the MHA and MHA Keystone Center
Erin Steward

Physician Health Leadership Council

The Physician Health Leadership Council focuses on the unique issues related to physicians, including physician integration and interaction within hospitals, healthcare systems and physician practices. This council promotes and advances the role of physician leadership and facilitates their education, provides insight, advice and recommendations to the MHA and the MHA governing boards; and serves as a catalyst for healthcare delivery.
Gary Roth, DO

Safety & Quality Committee

The Safety & Quality Committee provides input on MHA policy issues related to health equity, safety, quality management and compliance, including performance improvement and accreditation/regulatory compliance. The committee also identifies, develops and recommends policy solutions, guided by the MHA data principles, to position the MHA as the primary source for hospital and healthcare data and information. As delegated by the MHA Board of Trustees, the committee will provide member feedback for the www.verifymicare.org website, including measure addition, removal, and maintenance. The committee routinely reviews accreditation standards and policy changes that affect providers as proposed by organizations such as The Joint Commission and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The committee will regularly receive updates from the Health Equity Task Force and discuss opportunities to integrate health equity into everyday quality and safety efforts. Additionally, this committee facilitates MHA feedback regarding national quality initiatives, including those of the American Hospital Association, National Quality Forum, and the Joint Commission
Michelle Norcross and Gwen Schroeder

Small Or Rural Hospital Council

The Small or Rural Hospital Council identifies and examines issues unique to small or rural providers from a regulatory and policy development viewpoint. Informs policy- and decision-making bodies of the MHA.
Lauren LaPine

BCBSM Committees and PHA Advisory Committee

The BCBSM committees are populated by invitation and appointment. The PHA Advisory Committee is an MHA Board-level Committee.

Benefit Administration Committee

The Benefit Administration Committee provides input to BCBSM on billing and claims processing issues.
Vickie Kunz & Jason Jorkasky

PHA Advisory Participating Hospital Agreement (PHA) Advisory

The Participating Hospital Agreement Advisory provides input to BCBSM on participating hospital agreement contract matters.
Jason Jorkasky

Utilization Management & Quality Assessment

The Utilization Management & Quality Assessment Committee provides input to BCBSM on matters that are relevant to utilization, quality and health management.
Jason Jorkasky

MHA Work Groups

A work group is a subgroup of any entity (council or committee) that is appointed by the chair to work on a specific project. Work groups often use specific area experts. The “experts” are acknowledged for their work with the specific project but may not be regular members of the work group’s parent entity.

Hospital Affiliated Legislative Officers (HALO)

This committee/work group complements the MHA Legislative Policy Panel through the coordination of day-to[1]day advocacy efforts with members and by monitoring and reviewing healthcare policy, state budget activities and proposed/pending state and federal legislation.
Adam Carlson

MHA Task Forces

Artificial Intelligence Task Force

The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Task Force is developing a framework focused on the safe, ethical and equitable application of AI within healthcare. This framework includes clear guidance and model policies to help hospital and health system policymakers manage the evolving impact of AI.
Jim Lee, Amy Barkholz, and Elizabeth Kutter

Public Health Task Force

The Public Health Task Force focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic that has systematically changed both the public health and healthcare sectors. The pandemic has exposed differential strengths and deficiencies in both systems and has highlighted the need for transformative change. Based on the recommendations of the MHA Board of Trustees in November 2021, the MHA has convened a task force of healthcare leaders to come together to collaboratively identify systemic challenges, propose solutions and identify policy levers for positive change
Laura Appel and Lauren LaPine

MHA Regional Councils