Category: Member News

Webinar Outlines Considerations for the End of the Public Health Emergency

Member News

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) COVID-19 public health emergency expires May 11, 2023, which may significantly decrease the flexibility providers have become accustomed to.

The MHA will host The End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) and Preparing for the New Regulatory Environment webinar from 4 to 5 p.m. March 30, 2023, providing practical guidance on unwinding reliance on the COVID-19 public health emergency flexibilities. The webinar will identify the steps hospitals should take to prepare for the end of the federal and state public health emergency, review the status of waivers and extensions of PHE-oriented flexibilities and outline how the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services will work with providers in determining which COVID-19 response policies will end, be modified or remain permanently. Experts from Jones Day and the MHA staff will present and answer questions.

Chief executives, financial, medical and nursing executives, legal counsel, patient account and revenue cycle directors, government relations officers, public relations directors and human resources directors are encouraged to register. The webinar is free of charge and open to MHA member organizations only.

Members with questions should contact Brenda Carr at the MHA.

News to Know – March 6, 2023

Member News
  • The MHA is offering its popular Healthcare Leadership Academy program on March 13-15 and May 15-16. Physicians, clinicians and others engaged in healthcare and wish to strengthen their leadership skills are encouraged to register for the Healthcare Leadership Academy. Registration includes both the March and May module dates.
  • Registration is now open for the MHA Keystone Center Safe Patient Handling Conference. The all-day event will take place April 13 at the Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest. The free event will provide participants with a better understanding of how caregiver and patient safety are connected. Attendees will also learn how safe, early and continuous mobility can help achieve better patient outcomes in less time with fewer staff. Members with questions may contact the MHA Keystone Center.

Healthcare Workforce Supplemental Passed by Michigan Legislature

Member News
capitol building

capitol buildingThe Michigan Legislature passed a supplemental appropriation bill the week of Feb. 27 that included $75 million to help address the ongoing staffing crisis in hospitals. The appropriation was part of House Bill 4016. Hospitals were allocated the funds for recruitment, retention and training of healthcare workers.

After Gov. Whitmer signs HB 4016, the MHA will work closely with the administration to allocate the funds once they are made available by the state.

The MHA also published a media statement March 1 on the behalf of MHA CEO Brian Peters to thank the legislature for acting. “On behalf of our member hospitals and health systems, we are very thankful our partners in the Michigan Legislature recognized this need and continue to be involved in developing solutions to retain and expand healthcare talent in Michigan.” The statement was published in a Crain’s Detroit Business article.

Members with questions about workforce funding may contact Adam Carlson.

Using Interim Leadership to Strengthen Organizational Agility

Member News
AMN Healthcare B.E.Smith

AMN Healthcare B.E.SmithAMN Healthcare / B.E. Smith has a track record of success in providing experienced interim leaders to fill open positions while clients conduct searches for a replacement. An additional item, AMN Leadership / B.E. Smith is excited to offer is helping partners deploy interim leaders independent of a search, an approach called strategic interim leadership.

Strategic interim leadership can be defined as when an experienced outside leader is contracted to execute a strategic project or lead a key initiative and is distinctly different from utilizing large-scale consulting firms or hiring the occasional freelancer. They can provide interim candidates in as short as 48 hours.

The benefits of this approach are substantial and include:

  • Cost savings compared to large consulting projects.
  • Maintain strategic momentum.
  • Enhance organizational agility.

Members are invited to explore this subject further with the new report, Using Interim Leadership to Strengthen Organizational Agility, which addresses the drivers and critical success factors in deploying strategic interim leaders on a project basis.

To learn more, contact Mario Karagianis, Midwest division director, AMN Leadership Solutions, at (316) 992-3269. For more information about the EBP program, visit the program’s webpage.

Registration Open for MHA Human Resources Member Forum

Member News

The MHA will host an in-person Human Resources Member Forum at the MHA Headquarters in Okemos from 8:30 a.m. to noon April 26, with a virtual option available as well.

The forum is structured as a round table with human resources and MHA leaders moderating a discussion among attendees around the Great Resignation of the healthcare workforce and ideas and solutions to combat workforce challenges.

Speakers for the forum include Michigan human resources leaders Patrick Irwin, vice president, human resources, South Market, Henry Ford Hospital; and Mary Rosser, MA, SHRM-SCP, chief human resources officer, Trinity Health Saint Mary’s; and Mary Sand, Ph.D., Sand Consulting, LLC.

Irwin and Rosser will first explore topics related to workforce safety and pipeline development, such as approaches to invite employees at all levels to help plan the future workforce, developing strategies for diverse candidate pools, boosting the capacity to prevent and curtail violence against staff and implementing wellbeing programs. The forum will conclude with a keynote presentation from Sand on human resources professionals identifying their blind spots.

The forum is free of charge and open only to MHA member organizations. Registration for both in-person and virtual attendees will close April 19.

Members with questions about membership or registration should contact Brenda Carr at the MHA.

Michigan Legislature Supports Hospital Workforce

Member News, News Releases
Brian Peters

The following statement can be attributed to Brian Peters, CEO of the Michigan Health & Hospital Association.

Brian PetersMichiganders deserve local access to care from their hospitals, but that access has been threatened by a generational workforce shortage. On behalf of our member hospitals and health systems, we are very thankful our partners in the Michigan Legislature recognized this need and continue to be involved in developing solutions to retain and expand healthcare talent in Michigan. This supplemental appropriation will continue to assist in recruiting a talented and skilled workforce to Michigan hospitals, in addition to keeping and training existing staff.

There are currently more than 27,000 jobs available in Michigan hospitals. While our members continue to work closely with the education community to expand opportunities in the talent pipeline, this funding plays a crucial role in ensuring the viability of hospital service lines and capacity. We plan to work with the administration to ensure this funding is available as quickly as possible to make sure hospitals are staffed and ready for the health needs of all members of the community.

Application Period Begins for Michigan Opioid Treatment Access Loan Repayment Program

Member News

Applications for the Michigan Opioid Treatment Access Loan Repayment Program (MIOTA) will be accepted from Feb. 27 through March 13.

MIOTA is a medical education debt repayment program focused on incentivizing healthcare providers to begin and expand opioid treatment in Michigan. Funded through the Michigan Opioid Healing and Recovery Fund, the goal of MIOTA is to increase availability of opioid use disorder treatment across the state, especially in areas where treatment is difficult to access.

This program is available to medical providers (MD, DO, NP, PA) and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) counselors. Medical providers must either:

  • Begin providing medication opioid used disorder treatment in Michigan by having obtained a standard Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) registration certificate.
  • Already be providing treatment using a standard DEA registration certificate.
  • Provide services as a SUD counselor within an opioid treatment program or serving individuals with an Opioid Use Disorder, Stimulant Use Disorder or SUD program.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the program guidance to learn more about MIOTA eligibility requirements. For additional information, contact Megan Linton at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Members with questions may contact Lauren LaPine at the MHA.

Nominations Being Accepted for 2023 Advancing Safe Care Award

Member News
MHA Advancing Safe Care Award

MHA Advancing Safe Care AwardTo recognize Michigan hospitals that are tackling issues daily to make care safer and more dependable, the MHA is accepting nominations for its annual Advancing Safe Care Award. Eligible nominees include teams from hospitals across the state dedicated to transparency regarding the quality of care provided to their patients and providing unmatched care to different patient populations. Nominations for the 2023 award will be accepted through March 24.

The award honors teams within MHA-member hospitals who are committed to providing quality care to diverse socioeconomic populations, promoting transparency within organizations, leading the charge for quality improvement and achieving better outcomes due to strong culture of safety. The award does not limit the number of team members who can be included in the nomination.

Judging for this award is based on four criteria:

  • Reducing health disparities among specific patient populations.
  • Supporting a learning culture committed to trust, feedback and higher problem-solving.
  • Evidence of transparency among care teams, with patients and families and with community stakeholders.
  • Improving safety by creating high degrees of psychological and physical safety.

For more information on nominating a team for the Advancing Safe Care Award, contact Erica Leyko at the MHA.

CHAMPS Registration Required for Medicaid Doula Services

Member News

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) will reimburse for doula services provided to individuals covered by Medicaid beginning Jan. 1, 2023. Doula providers are required to be registered and approved on the MDHHS Doula Registry and enrolled in the Community Health Automated Medicaid Processing System (CHAMPS) as a Medicaid provider. Doulas should contact the Medicaid health plan (MHP) prior to providing services to MHP enrollees, as doulas must be contracted with the MHP or receive approval to provide out-of-network services.

Doulas must be at least 18 years old and possess a high school diploma or equivalent credentials. The MDHHS will certify doulas who have completed training provided by an MDHHS-approved training program or organization.

Additional resources include:

Additional information and resources can be found on the MDHHS Doula Initiative website. The CHAMPS provider enrollment process and resources can be found on the Provider Enrollment website.

Members with questions should contact Vickie Kunz at the MHA.

Feb. 28 Virtual Training for FY 2020 Medicaid DSH Audit

Member News

Myers and Stauffer LC, Michigan’s contractor for the federally mandated Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) audits, encourages hospital staff to participate in the upcoming virtual training at 10 a.m. Feb. 28. Hospital staff are also encouraged to view a pre-recorded general DSH training prior to the webinar. The pre-recorded training covers general DSH survey instructions and updates, while the Feb. 28 training will cover Michigan-specific requirements, followed by a question-and-answer session.

The following information may be used to join the Michigan-specific webinar:

Join from the meeting link.
Meeting password: 9ovN4X.
Join by phone: 929-352-2629.
Meeting number (access code): 959 209 351#.

Myers and Stauffer also plan to distribute the initial data request for the fiscal year 2020 audits to hospitals Feb. 10 and hospitals will have until March 13 to return the completed survey. 

Members with questions should contact Katie Jaskolski at the MHA.