Tag: diversity

MHA Monday Report Dec. 12, 2022

Monday Report
MHA Monday Report

capitol building2022 Legislative Session Adjourns

The Legislature took their final votes for the 2021-2022 legislative session during the week of Dec. 5. Given the results of the election, very few bills passed during the legislative lame-duck session compared to a typical year. …

Media Join Hospital Viability Press Conference

The MHA conducted a virtual press conference Dec. 6 to discuss the economic and staffing challenges impacting hospitals across the state to generate awareness with lawmakers of these issues and the potential impact on access to timely, high-quality healthcare for Michiganders. …

MHA and Michigan hospital representatives pictured with Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Midland).

MHA Visits Capitol Hill with Member Hospitals for AHA Advocacy Day

The MHA visited Capitol Hill in Washington DC last week to emphasize year-end priorities to Michigan’s congressional delegation. The MHA and several hospital representatives met with House members and with U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow to deliver the message that pending Medicare cuts are unsustainable and unacceptable. …

Rural Emergency Hospital Legislation Passed in Michigan

On Dec. 6th, the legislation needed for hospitals to begin converting to Rural Emergency Hospitals (REH) in Michigan was sent to the Governor’s desk for final approval. Due to the limited session days left, the language to allow for REH licensure in Michigan were officially included in Senate Bill (SB) 183. …

CMS Issues Proposal to Modify the Prior Authorization Process

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued a proposed rule to modify the prior authorization process for certain payers. The proposal would require payers to: Include a specific reason when denying a request. Publicly report certain prior authorization metrics. …

MHA Workforce Webinar to Discuss Diverse Workforce Solutions

Understanding the workforce’s values, preferences, triggers and character traits is essential to developing relationships that create a healthy organization. This may sound basic, but many organizations continue to miss the mark. …

Keckley Report 

Paul KeckleyThe Transitioning of US Healthcare from A Virtuous to Vicious Cycle

“U.S. healthcare has moved into a vicious cycle marked by intensified competition and noticeable acrimony between major players. Growing tension between major health insurers and health systems is illustrative.

Virtuosity to insurers is predicated on the core belief that keeping providers honest and care affordable and their domain; its vicious pursuit is to attribute unsustainable health costs to hospital inefficiency and price gauging.

The virtuous cycle for hospitals is premised on community health and provision of services to those unable to pay; the vicious cycle is the unwelcome intrusion of insurers and private investors who put profit above all else by paying them less so they can keep more. …”

Paul Keckley, Dec. 5, 2022

News to Know

Medtel was approved for associate membership in Nov. 2022. Medtel was founded in 2016 with a mission to improve surgical care experiences and outcomes for patients and providers by developing and delivering technology solutions. …

Brian PetersMHA in the News

The MHA received media coverage the week of Dec. 5 following a virtual press conference Dec. 6 on the financial and staffing challenges impacting hospital viability, as well as topics including hospital capital improvements, mergers and acquisitions and respiratory illness hospital admissions driven by RSV and COVID-19. …

MHA Workforce Webinar to Discuss Diverse Workforce Solutions

Member News

Understanding the workforce’s values, preferences, triggers and character traits is essential to developing relationships that create a healthy organization. This may sound basic, but many organizations continue to miss the mark. In a 2022 study conducted by the MHA and Escalent, the feeling of not having a voice and lack of communication by leadership is a main reason workers left healthcare. Understanding fundamental needs and creating policies that meet these needs is critical to the chaotic climate that exists now.

Human resource professionals are encouraged to join the All Too Human: Thoughts on Workforce webinar from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Jan. 26, 2023 for the opportunity to share ways to meet the needs of a diverse workforce. Conversations will be led by Patrick Irwin, Henry Ford Health, Marla Stuck, Oaklawn Hospital, and Deloris Hunt, Michigan Medicine.

The webinar is free of charges thanks to sponsors Merritt Hawkins and B.E. Smith. Members are asked to register by Jan. 24

Members with questions should contact Erica Leyko  at the MHA.

Trustee Insights Edition Explores DEI and Supporting Nursing Professions

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The latest edition of Trustee Insights, the monthly digital package from the American Hospital Association (AHA), is now available. This month’s issue includes an article about the board’s role in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). As DEI strategies are developed and ultimately woven into everyday policy and procedure, boards should play a significant role in lending support, driving accountability and inspiring culture in those strategies. Two areas of emphasis are recognizing the increasing prominence DEI plays in quality and playing an important role as vocal leaders to move DEI forward.

There is also a link to the quantitative and qualitative research done by Johnson & Johnson, the American Nurses Association and the American Organization for Nursing Leadership that evaluate the impacts of the pandemic on the nursing profession. The research provides next steps and promising practices that will be essential in delivering the full potential of the nursing profession.

The expanded website and enhanced monthly e-newsletter of Trustee Insights are available through the AHA Trustee Services webpage. They are free, do not require AHA membership and include articles, tools and webinars. Those interested in subscribing to AHA Trustee Insights may do so online.

For information about MHA trustee resources, contact Erin Steward at the MHA.

Webinar Addresses Differences Between DEI and Health Equity

Member News

Often the phrases “diversity, equity and inclusion,” or DEI, and “health equity” are used interchangeably. While they do overlap and there is synergy between the two, the terms are not synonymous.

In a free webinar hosted by the MHA Keystone Center and the Michigan Public Health Institute from 10 to 11 a.m. July 15, Lynn Todman, PhD, and Ovell Barbee of Spectrum Health will share how diversity, equity and inclusion and health equity are distinct but overlapping and mutually supportive bodies of work.

Todman and Barbee will use patient “personas” to illustrate the differences and points of overlap. Additionally, Barbee will cover Spectrum Health’s framework for DEI strategy, and Todman will provide an overview of the guiding principles, goals and strategic framework of health equity work.

Todman is the vice president of health equity at Spectrum Health Lakeland, where she leads efforts to advance health equity. She is also the catalyst behind Community Grand Rounds, which aims to educate and share the impact of structural racism on health and stimulate community and health system action to address racial health inequities.

Barbee, senior vice president, human resources, and chief diversity officer, Spectrum Health, leads and directs various workplace strategies in the health system, including talent acquisition, DEI and employee relations.

The webinar is offered free of charge, but registration is required. Members with questions may contact the MHA Keystone Center.

Diversity Resources Available for Trustees

Member News

The latest edition of Trustee Insights, the monthly digital package from the American Hospital Association (AHA), is now available. This month’s issue includes an article about the AHA’s Institute for Diversity and Health Equity toolkit outlining four compelling strategies to prioritize health equity and examples of evidence-based practices to inform next steps.

Another resource is the AHA’s Trustee Match Program, designed to help hospitals and health systems recruit diverse candidates with the kind of experiences required on the board to meet the organization’s current and anticipated needs. In partnership with the National Urban League and UnidosUS, the program provides a vetting process to help identify and appoint community leaders with the competencies and skill sets required to serve in hospital governance roles.

By forming a new talent pool made up of diverse trustee candidates of varying races, ages, orientations, genders, disabilities and more, the AHA helps hospitals and health systems find matches well suited to their organizations.

The expanded website and enhanced monthly e-newsletter of Trustee Insights are available through the AHA Trustee Services webpage. They are free, do not require AHA membership and include articles, tools and webinars. Those interested in subscribing to AHA Trustee Insights may do so online.

For information about MHA trustee resources, contact Erin Steward at the MHA.

Register by June 22 for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Virtual Series

Member News

As part of its work to address racism and health inequities, the MHA is offering a virtual series to address numerous diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) concepts, including:

  • Why equity remains the missing element in achieving a more inclusive and diverse work environment.
  • Staff resistance that routinely surfaces and how to engage employees in every step of the DEI journey.
  • Equitable messaging to advertising, media and business-to-business partners that connects with the emotions of DEI.
  • Partnerships that enhance and increase DEI credibility and how to use the “win-when” partnership assessment framework.
  • The professional and personal member organizations that are based on racial affinity and can build on your DEI strategy, as well as the do’s and do nots in developing a pipeline for inclusion.

An important orientation webinar will take place from 11 a.m. to noon June 30, followed by four webinars held from 11 a.m. through 12:15 p.m. Chief executive officers, medical, nursing and human resources executives, governing board members, and key DEI leaders are encouraged to participate. Pricing includes the entire series and is available for teams of five members and larger. Registration is due June 22.

To register, contact the MHA Field Engagement division indicating the intention to register for the DEI series and providing an email address and phone number. Registrants will be contacted for additional information to complete the process. Questions about the series should be directed to Erin Steward at the MHA.

The MHA is discussing with the state whether the information provided in the DEI virtual series will fulfill the new implicit bias training requirement for healthcare providers who apply for initial licensure or relicensure after May 31, 2022. For more information on the new rules, contact Paige Fults at the MHA. An additional opportunity to learn about DEI is available through a July 15 webinar offered by the MHA Keystone Center, which is not related to the new rules.

MHA and MHA Keystone Center Events Focus on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Member News

To act deliberately and purposefully to ensure outcomes across all patient populations are equitable, leaders should know where disparities exist, ways to prevent disparities and how to create a culture and system that reduces disparities to improve quality and save lives. As part of the work of the MHA Pledge to Address Racism and Health Inequities, the MHA and the MHA Keystone Center are offering multiple events to address diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

A virtual series beginning June 30 and concluding Aug. 31 will address four DEI concepts: DEI implementation; equitable conversations; equitable messaging; equitable partnership building; and diversity pipeline development.

The June 30 webinar is an orientation from 11 a.m. to noon, followed by four webinars held from 11 a.m. through 12:15 p.m. EDT. Hospital and health system executives, including chief executive officers; medical, nursing and human resources executives; governing board members; and key DEI leaders are encouraged to participate to advance their health equity efforts. Pricing includes the entire series and is available for teams of five members and larger. To register, contact the MHA Field Engagement division by June 22 and indicate the intention to register for the DEI series, providing an email address and phone number. Registrants will be contacted for additional information to complete the process. Questions about the series should be directed to Erin Steward at the MHA.

The MHA Keystone Center and Michigan Public Health Institute are offering an additional webinar, separate from the series, from 10 to 11 a.m. EDT July 15. The event, Addressing the Confusion: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and Health Equity, will address key distinctions between the phrases “diversity, equity and inclusion” and “health equity.” These phrases are often used interchangeably; however, the terms are not synonymous. Lynn Todman, PhD, and Ovell Barbee, SPHR, of Spectrum Health will use patient “personas” to illustrate the differences and points of overlap.

Additionally, Barbee will cover Spectrum Health’s framework for DEI strategy and Todman will provide an overview of the guiding principles, goals and strategic framework of health equity work. The event is offered free of charge, but registration is required. For more information on this virtual offering, contact the MHA Keystone Center.

Trustee Insights Edition Explores Diversity, Revenue, Behavioral Health Services

Member News

The latest edition of Trustee Insights, the monthly digital package from the American Hospital Association (AHA), is now available. This month’s issue includes an article on recruitment efforts to achieve diversity of race, ethnicity, gender, age, expertise and experience on the governing board. The article includes a list of reasons a board’s efforts to diversify may have stalled, with potential actions to get back on track. There is also an article outlining the impact of steep declines in non-COVID-19 volume and a 2021 hospital revenue forecast by Kaufman Hall, as well as a video describing how healthcare leaders and their community partners are advancing and sustaining efforts to improve access to behavioral health services.

The expanded website and enhanced monthly e-newsletter of Trustee Insights are available through the AHA Trustee Services webpage. They are free, do not require AHA membership and include articles, tools and webinars. Those interested in subscribing to AHA Trustee Insights may do so online.

For information about MHA trustee resources, contact Erin Steward at the MHA.