During the week of Feb. 27, the Michigan Legislature passed a supplemental appropriation bill that included $75 million to help address the ongoing staffing crisis in hospitals. The appropriation was part of House Bill 4016. โฆ
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 โฆ
To 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 โฆ
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 โฆ
AMN 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 …
Having just returned from the annual American Hospital Association Rural Health Care Leadership Conference, where I was joined by a strong contingent of MHA members and staff, the future of our rural hospitals has been top of mind.
โHealthcareโs insiders talk good games but default to incrementalistโ strategery not because the future is an unknown. Itโs because many boards are uncomfortable with โtoo muchโ change or, in some cases, executive comp is geared to risk avoidance and short-term financial success. Often, excuses masquerade as reasons. Thatโs why outsiders are gaining ground on insiders.
Healthcareโs future is not a repeat of its past. Strategery in every organization needs a fresh look– especially among its insiders.โ
The MHA Service Corporation board began its Feb. 8 meeting addressing current strategic priorities including exploring innovative solutions to support hospital financial viability, workforce restoration and wellbeing, behavioral health improvements, health equity and more. The board considered strategies to continue โฆ
The MHA Keystone Center and the Michigan Value Collaborative (MVC) developed and released a statewide report Feb. 2 on birth outcomes following recently released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in an effort to support maternal healthย โฆ
The annual presentation of the MHA Healthcare Leadership Award honors those who have demonstrated outstanding leadership within individual facilities and in their communities. Nominations for exceptional healthcare trustees, executives, physicians, nurses or other leaders for โฆ
The MHA released another episode of the MiCare Champion Cast, which features interviews with healthcare policy experts in Michigan on key issues that impact healthcare and the health of communities. On episode 26, Helen Johnson, โฆ
โThe spontaneous reaction to the Presidentโs commentary on Medicare was the biggest surprise of the night! Itโs especially significant as 2024 Presidential campaigns launch in the next 90 days (Haley this week) and Congress grapples with the debt ceiling and appropriations to Medicare, Veterans Health, Medicaid, pandemic preparedness and public health to name a few. โฆ.โ
The Michigan Society of Healthcare Risk Management is now accepting nominations for the Paul Venzke Award for Outstanding Performance in the field of Healthcare Risk Management. …
The MHA received media coverage the week of Feb. 13 regarding challenges impacting hospital viability in Michigan and on a statement released by MHA CEO Brian Peters following the shooting Feb. 13 on the campus of Michigan State University โฆ
The MHA Board of Trustees began its Feb. 8 meeting with a federal advocacy briefing from federal lobbyist Carlos Jackson with Cornerstone Government Affairs. Jackson highlighted the policy and funding threats and opportunities healthcare providers โฆ
Gov. Whitmer released her executive budget recommendation Feb. 8 for fiscal year 2024. The proposed budget fully protects traditional hospital line items for Medicaid and the Healthy Michigan program, continues targeted rate increases from recent budget cycles and includes โฆ
The MHA and rural hospital leaders visited Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. Feb. 7-9 to advocate for specific rural healthcare policies as part of the National Rural Health Associationโs Rural Health Policy Institute event. โฆ
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. In partnership with the MHA Keystone Center, EarlyMobility.com โฆ
Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollment in Michigan totaled approximately 1.25 million in January, an increase of 33,000 beneficiaries since October. The January enrollment is spread across 48 MA plans that are currently operating in the state, โฆ
โWave One of the Value Based Care environment was marginally effective: CMSโ alternative payment models showed promise but savings to Medicare fell short of expectations per MedPAC. Medicare Advantage enrollment grew but plan sponsors were overpaid by Medicare. Hospital avoidable readmissions and complications efforts have been successful but the pandemic economy decapitated hospital resources necessary to compete in the value-based environment. Wave One is a mixed bag. โฆ
The Wave Two Value Agenda in U.S. healthcare will impact every player and be messy. The backdrop of the 2024 Campaign cycle and post-pandemic economy mean impetus will shift from resource-constrained Medicare to the private sector as both offer significant but distinct opportunities for lower spending. And the revolution of generative AI assures shortcomings of the systemโdiagnostic error, administrative waste, fraudโwill be widely exposed. โฆโ
Prospective payment system hospitals are reminded that any requests for corrections to the January public use file data being used by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to develop the fiscal year 2024 Medicare wage index must be received, along with supporting documentation, by the Medicare Administrative Contractor by Feb. 15, 2023.
MHA Endorsed Business Partner Demand Workforce/Qodex will host a free 30-minute webinar on Mission Impossible: Letโs Talk About How to Heal Your Staffing Crisis at noon ET Feb. 22 to discuss healthcare trends in staffing including creative approaches to deliberately using your nursing workforce.
The MHA received media coverage the week of Feb. 6 regarding a variety of topics, including the fiscal year 2024 executive budget recommendation, the role food insecurity has as a social determinant of health, the new state House Behavioral โฆ
The first hearing of the new legislative session for the House Health Policy Committee was held Feb. 2. Led by Chair Julie Rogers (D-Kalamazoo), new committee members heard testimony from advocacy organizations about the state of public health in Michigan. …
The Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs revised Public Health Code โ General Rules to allow asynchronous teleconferences or webinars as acceptable modality of training as part of the implicit bias training standards for all professions licensed or registered under โฆ
Hospitals taking part in local efforts to enrich the overall welfare of their communities are encouraged to nominate those programs for the 2023 MHA Ludwig Community Benefit Award. First presented in 1990, the annual award honors MHA-member healthcare โฆ
Just as hospitals and health systems have changed their strategies to adapt to the new environment, MHA education programming and sponsorships have changed to deliver more value. The MHA team are designing in-person events tied to the priorities of the โฆ
In last monthโs CEO Report, we focused on the new political environment in Lansing, with a host of first-time lawmakers taking office, Democrats assuming majority control of both chambers of the legislature and a host of …
โThis week, 100 of the Fortune 500 will report earnings for 2022 and heightened attention will be on four tech giants–Apple Inc., (AAPL); Amazon (AMZN) Meta Platforms Inc.(META) and Alphabet Inc.(GOOG). Comparatively, reports this week by Pfizer, Merck and Eli Lilly will get industry attention but news about these technology-giants will extend to a much wider audience. Why? โฆ
2023 will be pivotal to U.S. healthcareโs future: itโs the transition year from pandemic adaptation buoyed by emergency-relief funds and opportunistic private equity plays in capital-starved sectors to a normalcy thatโs unprecedented. โฆ โ
The MHA received media coverage the week of Jan. 30 regarding the 340B drug pricing program and the lack of child psychiatrists in northern Michigan. Crainโs Detroit Business published an op-ed Feb. 1 from MHA CEO Brian Peters on โฆ
The MHA Legislative Policy Panel convened Jan. 25 to develop recommendations for the MHA Board of Trustees on legislative initiatives impacting Michigan hospitals. The meeting was highlighted by a presentation from MHA multi-client lobbying firm Public Affairs Associates on the new political landscape in Michigan. โฆ
MHA CEO Brian Peters appeared on Detroitโs WJR News Talk Radioโs Paul W. Smith โLive from Lansingโ show Jan. 26 as part of its annual coverage of legislative and policy issues facing the state the morning after Gov. Gretchen Whitmerโs State of the State address. โฆ
The MHA and its member hospitals and health systems contributed a combined total of $45,000 toward the 2022 Michigan Harvest Gathering in an effort to combat food insecurity throughout the state. The annual campaign organized by the Food Bank Council of Michigan concluded Jan. 25 โฆ
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a proposed rule Nov. 30 to establish the 340B Administrative Dispute Resolution (ADR) process implementing a formal manner for resolving disputed claims. The ADR process would provide a forum for addressing …
President Biden approved the elimination of the DATA Waiver (X-Wavier) requirement and several other prescribing practice changes when he signed Dec. 29 the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023. Changes to prescribing practices include: No longer requiring the X-Waiver to treat โฆ
Myers and Stauffer LC, Michiganโs 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 โฆ
The MHA released another episode of the MiCare Champion Cast, which features interviews with healthcare policy experts in Michigan on key issues that impact healthcare and the health of communities. On episode 24, Ross M. Ramsey, MD, president and CEO of Scheurer Health โฆ
โIn its latest assessment of the U.S. physician workforce, the venerable Association of Academic Medical Centers (AAMC) projects a shortage of between 17,800 and 48,000 primary care physicians by 2034. โฆ
The keys to mitigating the primary care shortage are multi-factorial, but technology-enabled self-care must be prioritized as a core competence. Itโs the missing piece. โฆโ
The Rural Health Redesign Center, the technical assistance provider chosen by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, in partnership with Mathematica held a with new information for eligible rural hospitals interested in converting to the new Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation.
The MHA and Comprehensive Reimbursement, Inc. are offering a free Occupational Mix educational webinar at 10 a.m. Jan. 31.
The MHA received media coverage the week of Jan. 23 regarding the issue of food insecurity, rural healthcare solutions and hospital viability. The MHA contributed a combined total of $45,000 toward the 2022 Michigan Harvest Gathering during the campaignโs luncheon โฆ
MHA CEO Brian Peters appeared on Detroitโs WJR News Talk Radioโs Paul W. Smith โLive from Lansingโ show.
MHA CEO Brian Peters appeared on Detroitโs WJR News Talk Radioโs Paul W. Smith โLive from Lansingโ show Jan. 26 as part of its annual coverage of legislative and policy issues facing the state the morning after Gov. Gretchen Whitmerโs State of the State address. The MHA sponsored the program, with the broadcast hosted at downtown Lansingโs Courtyard by Marriott.
As part of the program lineup,ย Smith spoke with Petersย about the state of hospitals and the many challenges they face, including workforce sustainability, behavioral health and financial viability.ย Other notable interviewees during the event included Whitmer; Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt (R-Lawton), Sen. Sam Singh (D-East Lansing) and Wayne County Executive Warren Evans.
The State of the State address the previous evening primarily focused on lowering costs for Michigan residents, economic development, expanding education opportunities and public safety and gun violence prevention. One specific item mentioned by Whitmer relevant to hospitals is the intention to reduce the age to qualify for Michigan Reconnect from 25 years old to 21. Doing so would increase the number of individuals eligible to pursue scholarships to qualify for scholarships to pursue high-demand healthcare credentials.
As a sponsor of the event, the MHA developed a 60-second message for airing before and during the broadcast. For more information, contact John Karasinskiย at the MHA.
The following statement can be attributed to Brian Peters, CEO of the Michigan Health & Hospital Association.
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, โOf all the forms of inequality, injustice in healthcare is the most shocking and inhumane.โ As we honor Dr. King today and the legacy he created striving for racial equality, the MHA and our member hospitals and health systems remain committed to the pledge every MHA member chief executive officer originally signed in 2020 indicating a unified responsibility to addressing disparities, dismantling institutional racism and achieving health equity. Simply put, hospital leaders will continue to listen, act and lead towards achieving health equity and eliminating racial disparities.
Words do not do justice to the tremendous change Dr. King led in our country. It falls on each of us as leaders to continue his work. In our hospitals, efforts persist to ensure all healthcare professionals are trained on the impacts of unconscious bias. With the help of the MHA Keystone Center, over 90% of hospitals have completed the Health Equity Organizational Assessment to identify the health equity priorities for their communities. Industry leaders are also meeting from all areas of Michigan within the MHA Keystone Centerโs Health Equity Task Force to make health equity engrained in all facets of care.
Hospitals have treated the end results of decades of health inequity for far too long. We remind Michiganders today that eliminating health disparities is an all-hands-on-deck effort. The time is now for healthcare leaders to drive change and to achieve more equitable healthcare in Michigan.
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.
The event occurred while childrenโs hospitals continue to operate near capacity levels as they continue to care for a surge of children suffering from respiratory illnesses amid staffing shortages. Speakers also referenced how the loss of 1,700 staffed adult inpatient hospital beds across the state has led to longer wait times in the emergency department, reduced services and more difficulty transferring patients. Lastly, the point was made that no other industry is prevented from responding to inflationary pressures and growing expenses to the degree that healthcare is.
Speakers included:
T. Anthony Denton, senior vice president and chief operating officer, University of Michigan Health System.
JJ Hodshire, president and chief executive officer, Hillsdale Hospital.
Dan Hurley, chief executive officer, Michigan Association of State Universities.
Brian Peters, chief executive officer, Michigan Health & Hospital Association.
Susan Smith, executive director, Economic Development Partnership of Hillsdale County.
Rudolph P. Valentini, chief medical officer at Childrenโs Hospital of Michigan, group chief medical officer at Detroit Medical Center.
Michiganโs hospitals are facing a funding crisis, putting communities and families across the state at risk of losing access to high-quality, timely healthcare. Health systems, business and university leaders are urging policymakers to address the crisis to avoid further reduction of available beds and access to care and healthcare services.
Michigan has lost a high of 1,700 staffed hospital beds since 2020 due to lack of staffing. This creates a cascade of problems, from longer wait times in the emergency department, reduced services, particularly in rural areas, and more difficulty transferring patients to the appropriate care setting. Respiratory illnesses are also surging, making problems worse.
โRecently, we have seen a surge in cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), flu and COVID. This puts an additional pressure on emergency departments and our already-strained inpatient bed capacity across Michigan, impacting care statewide. Without funding to address staffing shortages, we run the risk of compromising our ability to provide the same level of exceptional care that weโre accustomed to across the state,โ said T. Anthony Denton, senior vice president and chief operating officer, University of Michigan Health System and Michigan Health & Hospital Association board chair.
A 2021 Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation survey found that nearly 30% of healthcare workers are considering leaving their profession altogether. Theย U.S. Bureau of Labor Statisticsย projects the need for 1.1 million new registered nurses nationwide by 2030, the Association of American Medical Colleges estimates two out of every five active physicians nationwide will be 65 or older within the next 10 years, and the nation faces a projected shortage of more than 3.2 million lower-wage healthcare workers such as medical assistants, home health aides and nursing assistants, according to a Mercerย report.
โThe overall health and prosperity of Michigan is inextricably tied to the stateโs investment in its healthcare and higher education enterprises,โ saidDaniel Hurley, CEO of the Michigan Association of State Universities. โMichiganโs public universities, together with our hospital and other healthcare partners, look forward to working with state leaders to ensure a future healthcare workforce that is capable of providing the highest levels of quality care for all Michiganders.โ
The healthcare workforce shortage โ combined with an aging population, a rise in chronic diseases and behavioral health conditions and advancements in medical care delivery โ all contribute to an immediate need for resources that will allow hospitals to continue to provide the care residents need and deserve.
Despite staffing losses attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare directly employed nearly 572,000 Michigan residents in 2020, continuing to make it the largest private-sector employer in the state. The 2022 Economic Impact of Healthcare in Michigan report found that direct healthcare workers in Michigan earned $44.2 billion in wages, salaries and benefits, with indirect, healthcare-supported workers earning about $28 billion wages, salaries and benefits.
โWith healthcare being the largest private-sector employer, a healthy Michigan economy is directly linked to a properly funded healthcare system,โ said Susan Smith, executive director, Economic Development Partnership of Hillsdale County. โWithout access to healthcare services to support our communities, ranging from obstetrical units to trauma centers, we cannot remain economically competitive, attract or retain talent, or support placemaking for young families and care for everyone at all stages of life.โ
Michigan officials have made recent short-term investments to address the hospital staffing crisis, but additional funding remains unappropriated that if used as intended, can improve hospital capacity and service lines. Michigan also needs a long-term funding solution to address stagnant reimbursement that has yet to respond to inflationary pressures to improve the retention of existing healthcare workers and recruit future workers to ensure that residents continue to have access to healthcare services.
Learn how you can help your local hospital or health system by visiting MiCareMatters.org.
Additional quotes:
โHospitals have an immediate need for resources to continue to provide the services residents need and deserve โ like ambulances available for lifesaving care,โ said JJ Hodshire, president and chief executive officer, Hillsdale Hospital. โAs a rural hospital, we excel at being innovative to make the best use of our resources, particularly staff. However, we can only stretch resources for so long. Everyone can agree that access to lifesaving emergency medical care is a basic need for Michiganders and residents should be able to receive specialized care no matter where they live.โ
โMy colleagues in pediatric units across the state have spent the past month responding to one of the worst respiratory illness surges I can remember as a physician and the biggest challenge to our ability to care for more children was our lack of available staff,โ said Dr. Rudolph P. Valentini, chief medical officer, Childrenโs Hospital of Michigan and group chief medical offer at Detroit Medical Center. โWe canโt afford to have another surge of sick, hospitalized children before something is done to improve the health of our hospitals and health systems.โ
โMichigan residents deserve quality, accessible healthcare services and without hospital resources to adequately provide that care, Michigan hospitals have and will continue to face difficult decisions about what services they can offer,โ said Brian Peters, chief executive officer, Michigan Health & Hospital Association.โ
Midterm election results are in, bringing new leadership to the Michigan Legislature and a returning administration at the top of the ticket. Election 2022 will bring significant change to Lansing, as Democrats will now control the Governorโs office and both chambers of the state legislature for the first time since 1984 …
The legislature returned during the week of Nov. 7 to vote on legislative leadership and kickoff the 2022 lame-duck session. Only a handful of MHA-tracked bills saw action, including legislation to implement the new federal Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation …
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released the 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) final rule, effective Jan. 1, 2023. The rule reduces the PFS conversion factor by $1.55 (4.7%) to $33.06 in a calendar year (CY) 2023 from $34.61 in CY 2022 …
Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollment in Michigan totaled approximately 1.22 million in October, an increase of 17,000 beneficiaries since July. The October enrollment is spread across 48 MA plans that are currently operating in the state …
Through a partnership with the Duke Center for Healthcare Safety and Quality, the MHA Keystone Center is pleased to offer the second iteration of its WELL-B webinar series geared to support healthcare workers experiencing burnout …
โLast Tuesday, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published its 2023 payment schedule for physicians along with changes in the Medicare shared savings program, outpatient, behavioral and home health servicesโฆ
Healthcare is at a crossroad. Physicians are caught in the crossfire of policies to lower health costs and capital necessary to transform the system from specialty care and volume-based incentives to value and wellbeing.โ
The MHA received media coverage on the continued surge of RSV cases across Michiganโs pediatric hospitals that is stressing hospital capacity during the week of Nov. 6. Laura Appel, executive vice president …