Compact Bills Receive Bipartisan Support in Michigan House
The Michigan House of Representatives passed legislation during the week of Oct. 27 to add the state to the speech-language pathologist and audiologist licensure compact, as well as the professional counselor licensure compact. House …
MHA Keystone Center Annual Report Highlights Safety and Quality Initiatives
The MHA Keystone Center recently released its 2024-25 annual report, which demonstrates Michigan hospitals’ commitment to improving outcomes and advancing care. The report highlights MHA Keystone Center-led safety and quality initiatives, including: A five-year collaboration with …
First Legislative Policy Panel Meeting of New Program Year
The MHA Legislative Policy Panel held its first meeting of the 2025-26 MHA program year at the MHA Capital Advocacy Center on Oct. 29 to develop recommendations on legislative issues impacting Michigan hospitals. The meeting …
Superior Health Recruiting Hospitals, Clinics and Nursing Homes for Quality Improvement Assistance Program
The Superior Health Quality Alliance – a coalition of eight Midwest healthcare quality improvement organizations, including the MHA Keystone Center – is actively recruiting participants for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) 13th …
Small or Rural Council Kicks off 2025-26 Program Year
The MHA Small or Rural Hospital Council convened its first meeting of the 2025–26 program year, chaired by Ross Ramsey, CEO, Scheurer Health. The meeting focused on the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), state and federal budget …
AAP and Common Health Coalition Review Updated Vaccine Guidance
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Common Health Coalition hosted the webinar “Hot Topics on Respiratory Vaccines: Clearing the Air on Liability and Practice Considerations” Oct. 21. Legal, clinical and communication experts discussed …
In Case You Missed It
MHA Supports Expanded Medicaid Coverage for Postpartum Mental Health Screenings
The MHA recently submitted comments to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services in support of the proposal to expand Medicaid coverage for maternal mental health screenings up to 12 months postpartum. Postpartum depression affects one in eight individuals, …
Investing in Rural Hospitals Means Investing in Rural Michigan
When the One Big Beautiful Bill Act was signed into law in July, it created the Rural Health Transformation Program, a five-year, $50 billion investment in rural healthcare. The MHA Board of Trustees took swift action empowering an MHA board-appointed task force charged with creating …
Keckley Report
Focus Group Insight: Do Consumers Care about Healthcare Prices (Really)?
“Efforts to activate consumer attention to healthcare prices is very much a work in process despite significant policy efforts toward price transparency for drug prices and hospital “shoppable” services. To date, results have been modest.
Might that change? That’s the question Boards and C Suites across the health continuum must answer. Insiders think it’s unlikely; outsiders hope they’re wrong. If price transparency is the pre-cursor improved value in healthcare spending for most services, the proof is lacking to date.
Do Consumers Care about Healthcare Prices (Really)? Some do. More will. And all say it’s important. But until and unless price comparison becomes a staple in American household spending behavior, little will change. …
Like healthcare, frontline workers take the heat when policies and procedures fall short. While C suites are under pressure to operate profitably, frontline teams absorb the hits. I found myself reflecting on our frontlines who experience the same every day and have written commendation letters to AA for the “above and beyond” help I got from the Charlotte service desk that got me home eventually.”
News to Know
- The MHA will host a virtual member forum from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Nov. 7 to outline the MHA 2025-26 Strategic Action Plan (SAP) approved by the MHA Board of Trustees.
- MHA Endorsed Business Partner (EBP) CommerceHealthcare® will host the webinar Navigating Medical Debt: Trends and Strategic Responses from 11 to 11:30 a.m. ET Nov. 4.
- MHA EBP SunRx is hosting a 340B Regulatory Brief webinar at 2 p.m. EDT Nov. 4 with Bharath Krishnamurthy, health policy & analytics, American Hospital Association.
MHA in the News
The MHA received media coverage during the week of Oct. 27 as MHA CEO Brian Peters discussed the value of hospitals in light of rising insurance premiums. MIRS published a story Oct. 30 looking at …