MHA Issues Statement on Important Auto No-Fault Legislation

Brian Peters

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

Brian Peters“The auto no-fault insurance bills introduced today will improve access to care for auto accident survivors and patients. The reforms implemented several years ago created an environment of extreme uncertainty. This bill package is an important step towards providing better access to services and reimbursement clarity, bringing Michigan healthcare provider reimbursement in line with national averages and ensuring they all have the resources needed to care for auto accident survivors throughout their recovery.

The Michigan Health & Hospital Association is proud to join the many stakeholders supporting Senate Bills 530 and 531.”

Proposed Hospital Nurse Staffing Bills Harm Public’s Access to Healthcare

82% of Michigan Voters Oppose Mandated Hospital Nurse Staffing Ratios

The Michigan Health & Hospital Association (MHA) released data today illustrating strong public opposition to legislation proposing one-size-fits-all state mandated hospital nurse-to-patient staffing ratios and hospital survey data on the severe impact of the legislation on access to care for Michiganders.

A survey of 600 Michigan voters conducted by EPIC-MRA in August shows 82% of Michigan voters do not believe the government should mandate one-size-fits-all nurse-to-patient staffing ratios in every hospital, which is currently proposed in Senate Bills 334 – 336 and House Bills 4550 – 4552.

If the bills were to become law, 83% of Michigan voters would be concerned about their ability to receive care, or the wait times, in a Michigan hospital emergency room.

“These survey results are abundantly clear; Michigan voters have no appetite to remove hospital staffing decisions from clinical nursing leaders to implement an arbitrary one-size-fits-all mandate by politicians,” said MHA CEO Brian Peters. “Such a decision would be harmful to patients and have dire consequences for healthcare throughout the state. Our hospitals and health systems are focused on proven solutions to address staffing shortages that address the talent pipeline and retain existing nurses.”

The MHA also released the results from a survey of 109 Michigan hospitals conducted in July and August on the potential impact of the proposed legislation. Implementing staffing ratios will either require hiring 12,954 registered nurses or the state risks closing up to 5,074 hospital beds to comply. These results follow a survey of 95% of the MHA membership in March 2023 which found Michigan hospitals had 8,438 immediate openings for nurses amid a nationwide nursing shortage. The loss in hospital bed capacity is roughly equivalent to Michigan closing its six largest hospitals determined by licensed hospital beds.

“The significant and devastating impacts these bills can have on patient care and patient access make these the top concern for hospitals and health systems throughout our state,” said Shannon Striebich, MHA Board Chair and Ministry President and Senior Vice President of Operations at Trinity Health Michigan. “We value our nurses and are working diligently to offer recruitment and retention options that do not come at the expense of access to care for Michiganders.”

Hospital staffing decisions and nurse-to-patient ratios are currently made by nursing leaders in each individual hospital based on years of clinical experience and a complex set of variables. These decisions weigh a multitude of factors which vary from each hospital and community and can include the number of patients in a hospital unit, how sick each patient is, the training and experience level of nurses and other members of the care delivery team, available technology and existing hospital data and metrics.

“The decades of experience I have serving as a bedside nurse, nursing supervisor and in other nursing leadership roles inform decisions I make every day when it comes to helping create the best possible environment for our patients and our clinical team,” said Kelli Sadler, MHA, BSN, RN, senior vice president and chief nursing executive of Corewell Health in Southeast Michigan. “We should be able to determine the staffing ratios that best fit our communities. This legislation doesn’t address the real problem, which is a lack of nurses statewide.”

Hospitals remain committed to identifying tangible solutions to recruit more workers to healthcare careers and to retain existing healthcare workers. The actions by the MHA include:

  • Launching a statewide public awareness campaign in June 2023 targeting high school students and professionals considering a career change to express the value of healthcare careers.
  • Distributing a total of $300 million in state funding to at least 69,000 healthcare workers for the purposes of the recruitment, retention and training through Public Act 9 of 2022 and Public Act 5 of 2023.
  • Successfully advocating for additional nurse training opportunities including funding to incentivize four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs at community colleges and the expansion of Michigan Reconnect to allow funds to support Michiganders in their healthcare career pursuits.

The MHA has also identified several public policy solutions that can be enacted today to help solve nurse staffing shortages. Those solutions include:

  • Michigan joining the national Nurse Licensure Compact to reduce barriers for out-of-state nurses to move to and practice in Michigan immediately, which is supported by 67% of Michigan voters according to the August EPIC-MRA survey.
  • Increasing eligibility for Michigan Reconnect by lowering the age requirement to 18 and older.
  • Expanding Michigan Reconnect availability to include 4-year institutions.
  • Increasing penalties for violence committed against healthcare workers.

The data was released as part of Hospitals for Patient Access Advocacy Day, which brought more than 130 hospital and nursing leaders to Lansing to meet with state lawmakers about nurse staffing shortages and access to care for Michiganders. More information can be found on the MHA nurse staffing ratios webpage.

Headline Roundup: Prescription Drug Affordability & Healthcare Workforce

MHA CEO Brian Peters speaks with WOOD TV.
MHA CEO Brian Peters speaks with WOOD TV.
MHA CEO Brian Peters speaks with WOOD TV.

The MHA received media coverage the weeks of August 28 and Sept. 4 regarding prescription drug affordability, the healthcare workforce and COVID-19.

MHA CEO Brian Peters spoke with a variety of news outlets regarding these topics.

Below is a collection of headline from around the state.

Thursday, Sept. 7

Wednesday, Sept. 6

Wednesday, August 30

Members with any questions regarding media requests should contact John Karasinski at the MHA.

What’s Next Address Focuses on Healthcare Access

Brian Peters

The following statement can be attributed to Brian Peters, CEO of the Michigan Health & Hospital Association following Gov. Whitmer’s What’s Next address.

Brian PetersOn behalf of Michigan hospitals and health systems, the MHA is very pleased to see Gov. Whitmer prioritize healthcare and improving access to care for Michiganders. Prescription drug costs continue to grow at alarming rates. Addressing prescription drug affordability will help improve access to important medication for residents throughout Michigan, leading to improved health outcomes.

Our association looks forward to working with the administration and lawmakers to support efforts to reduce costs for lifesaving drugs, remove barriers to prescription drug access and protect existing solutions such as the 340B drug pricing program to increase affordable prescription drug access for Michigan residents.

Appel Discusses Pediatric Behavioral Health with Michigan Radio

Laura Appel

Laura AppelMichigan Radio published a story Aug. 20 about the large number of pediatric patients with serious mental health issues boarding in hospital emergency departments (EDs). MHA Executive Vice President Laura Appel was interviewed for the story, explaining how a lack of available pediatric placements in the state lead to the large number of children waiting in EDs.

The story also mentions $50 million in state funding to create pediatric residential treatment facilities, while also mentioning the need for the state to provide appropriate treatment and interventions to prevent children from needing to seek care at a hospital.

“Being in an ED for days at a time if not months creates more problems than they came in with,” said Appel. “Every large hospital system in Michigan has a story about a child who has been in their care for weeks, months. And when I say months I mean 200 days, 300 days, because it’s so hard to place kids with such complex needs.”

MHA Issues Statement on Andary v. USAA Decision

Brian Peters

The following statement can be attributed to Brian Peters, CEO of the Michigan Health & Hospital Association following the Michigan Supreme Court decision on Andary v. USAA.

Brian PetersThe MHA, on behalf of our member hospitals and health systems, are pleased with the Michigan Supreme Court decision that will provide greater access to care for auto accident survivors. It will make a positive impact on the lives of those survivors seriously injured prior to the recent changes to Michigan’s auto no-fault law who continue to have significant ongoing care needs.

In addition to this decision, the MHA remains engaged with lawmakers on identifying and supporting reforms to the auto no-fault law to improve access to care and support healthcare providers.

Headline Roundup: State Budget, Healthcare Workforce and More

Brian Peters

The MHA received media coverage the week of June 26 regarding the state budget, the healthcare workforce and auto no-fault utilization review.

MHA CEO Brian Peters is quoted in multiple stories. Below is a collection of headlines from around the state.

Friday, June 30

Thursday, June 29

Wednesday, June 28

Monday, June 26

Members with any questions regarding media requests should contact John Karasinski at the MHA.

Legislative Fiscal Year 2024 State Budget Renews Commitment to Healthcare

Brian Peters

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

Brian PetersThe fiscal year 2024 state budget approved by the Michigan Legislature renews a longstanding commitment lawmakers have made to the health and wellness of Michigan’s hospitals, health systems and communities.

We are extremely pleased to see the inclusion of new funding to support trauma centers and inpatient psychiatric services that will provide a net benefit of $92 million. Trauma centers at hospitals provide lifesaving treatment to people with the most severe injuries, ready at a moment’s notice for mass casualty events and catastrophic accidents with a vital network of EMS services. This added funding makes Michigan a national leader in recognizing the importance of access to trauma services and makes sure trauma centers can continue to be equipped with the resources needed to staff these services 24/7, year-round.

Michigan is also in the middle of a behavioral health crisis where the demand of patients needing inpatient care continues to increase. We commend the Legislature for recognizing this need and increasing rates to inpatient psychiatric facilities based on patient acuity to help hospitals afford the staffing, security and facilities necessary to accept patients with more severe illness.

In addition, the budget continues to support long-standing programs crucial to access to healthcare services throughout Michigan. These include funding for rural and critical access hospitals, obstetrical services, graduate medical education, the Healthy Michigan Plan and Michigan’s Medicaid population.

We look forward to a signed budget that provides hospitals with the needed support to continue to provide high-quality care to every patient.

Headline Roundup: Hospital Staffing Shortages

Laura Appel speaks with WXYZ Detroit on cancer drug shortages.
Laura Appel speaks with WXYZ Detroit on cancer drug shortages.
Laura Appel speaks with WXYZ Detroit on cancer drug shortages.

The MHA received media coverage the week of June 19 regarding mandated nurse staffing ratios, legislation to address violence against healthcare workers and chemotherapy drug shortages.

MHA representatives appearing in published stories include CEO Brian Peters, Executive Vice President Laura Appel and Senior Vice President Adam Carlson.

Below is a collection of headline from around the state.

Sunday, June 25

Thursday, June 22

Wednesday, June 21

Tuesday, June 20

Members with any questions regarding media requests should contact John Karasinski at the MHA.

Headline Roundup: Prescription Drug Costs & COVID-19

Sam Watson
Sam Watson
Sam Watson, senior vice president, field engagement, spoke with Bridge June 12 about COVID-19.

The MHA received media coverage the week of June 12 regarding prescription drug costs, COVID-19 and behavioral health.

MHA representatives appearing in published stories include CEO Brian Peters, Executive Vice President Laura Appel, Senior Vice President Sam Watson and Senior Director Elizabeth Kutter.

Below is a collection of headline from around the state.

Thursday, June 15

Monday, June 12

Thursday, June 8

Members with any questions regarding media requests should contact John Karasinski at the MHA.