Tag: MHA Keystone Center

MHA Monday Report Dec. 22, 2025

Monday Report, Member News

Healthcare Bills Advance During Final State Legislative Session Week of 2025

Enforcement of hospital price transparency measures, removal of mental health questions on health professionals’ license applications, and the creation of a palliative care advisory task force were among the healthcare-related bills that advanced in the …

State’s Chief Medical Executive Shares Standing Recommendation Regarding Children’s Vaccines

Michigan’s Chief Medical Executive Natasha Bagdasarian, MD, issued a standing recommendation Dec. 18, encouraging healthcare providers to follow the children’s immunization schedules developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics or the American Academy of …

CMS Announces MAHA ELEVATE Model

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is inviting healthcare organizations nationwide to apply for the Make America Healthy Again: Enhancing Lifestyle and Evaluating Value-Based Approaches Through Evidence (MAHA ELEVATE) model, a new initiative scheduled …

AHA Releases 2025 National Governance Report

The American Hospital Association (AHA) has released its 2025 National Governance Report. The report, based on data collected from August to December 2024, continues to develop a comprehensive picture of the state of healthcare…

Hospitals Help: Aspire Rural Health System Offers Lifeline to Families in the Thumb

Transitions, offered through Aspire Rural Health System, is a free community-based program dedicated to supporting individuals with chronic or life-limiting illnesses, as well as their families, across Michigan’s thumb region. The program provides a compassionate …

Mid-Program Year Highlights: Resources & Reports

Below is a compilation of resources shared during the first half of the 2025-26 program year to provide members with relevant tools, updates and insights.

Michigan Hospital Collaboratives Launch to Improve Community Health

More than 50 Michigan hospitals are coming together to improve outcomes in maternal health, behavioral health and chronic disease across the state through new community benefit collaboratives launched by the Michigan Health & Hospital Association …

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 …

Report: Access, Affordability & Community Health Improved by Hospital Programming, Investments

The MHA released its 2025 Community Impact Report highlighting community programming and investments from Michigan hospitals that are improving access to care, addressing affordability and advancing the health of …

New MHA Infographic Showcases Rural Michigan Healthcare Impact

The MHA recently released the infographic Healthcare Impact in Rural Michigan, which highlights how critical access hospitals, sole community hospitals, rural emergency hospitals and birthing hospitals support communities across the state. The infographic highlights the …

2025 Michigan Caregiver Navigation Toolkit Available

In alignment with National Caregiver Month, the MHA Keystone Center recently created the 2025 Michigan Caregiver Navigation Toolkit to support hospitals in their efforts to initiate and enhance caregiver support programming across the state. …

News to Know

  • The MHA will offer the Healthcare Leadership Academy in 2026, with cohorts meeting Feb. 25–27 and May 7–8 at the MHA Headquarters in Okemos.
  • MHA Endorsed Business Partner CyberForce|Q is hosting the Proactive Cyber Risk Measures Webinar on Jan. 29 with speakers from Trinity Health, the Michigan State Cyber Command Center and other organizations.
  • The MHA offices will be closed and no formal meetings will be scheduled Dec. 24, 2025–Jan. 1, 2026.
  • Due to the holidays, Monday Report will not be published Dec. 29 and Jan. 5 and will resume its normal schedule Jan. 12.

MHA Monday Report Nov. 24, 2025

Member News, Monday Report

MHA Submits Comments on Proposed Medicaid Mental Health Assessment Policy

The MHA recently submitted comments to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services on proposed policy 2545-BH, which sets new mental health assessment requirements for Medicaid Health Plan providers caring for Comprehensive Health Care Program enrollees. Although …

2025 Michigan Caregiver Navigation Toolkit Available

In alignment with National Caregiver Month, the MHA Keystone Center recently created the 2025 Michigan Caregiver Navigation Toolkit to support hospitals in their efforts to initiate and enhance caregiver support programming across the state. The …

Report: Access, Affordability & Community Health Improved by Hospital Programming, Investments

The Michigan Health & Hospital Association (MHA) released its 2025 Community Impact Report Nov. 17 highlighting community programming and investments from Michigan hospitals that are improving access to care, addressing affordability and advancing the health of …

MHA Keystone Center PSO Hosts Virtual Care Safe Table

Registration is open for the MHA Keystone Center Patient Safety Organization (PSO) Virtual Care Safe Table in partnership with Henry Ford Health. The event will take place from 12:30 to 4 p.m. Dec. 3 at …

MDHHS Seeks Volunteers to Support Development of New EMS Credentialing Exams

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is developing a Paramedic Exam and an Instructor Coordinator Exam and is seeking volunteers to support the process. Individuals across the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and …

MHA Keystone Board Reviews Workplace Violence Prevention and Maternal Health Efforts

The MHA Keystone Board of Directors met Nov. 12 to review ongoing work to improve safety and quality across member organizations. The meeting opened with a connect-to-purpose story shared by Keystone Board Chair Doug Dascenzo, …

Caring For Those Who Provide Care

November is National Family Caregiver Month, which recognizes the 63+ million individuals across the United States who support loved ones with health needs every day.  I am one of the 63 million and provide care for both of my parents. …

Keckley Report

For Health Insurers, the Big Questions need Answers

“The federal shutdown ended Wednesday. Congress passed and the President signed a continuing resolution (CR) that extends funding and delays changes to several health programs until January 30, 2026 including community health centers, the National Health Service Corps, teaching health centers, the Acute Hospital-at-Home initiative, telehealth, disproportionate share hospital payment cuts and many others. But extension of the ACA tax credits used by 24 million to purchase coverage at a discount was not included in the deal. The Congressional Budget Office estimates more than 4 million people will lose insurance if the subsidies are not renewed at the end of the year. …

The majority of voters think the political system is not working, lending to hyper-partisanship by establishment players and lack of trust in the status quo. Misinformation is weaponized and ‘blame and shame’ tactics deployed. That’s where U.S. politics is. …

In the peer reviewed literature, health insurance coverage is strongly correlated with better health outcomes, including lower mortality, improved chronic disease management, and increased use of preventive care. But its affordability is increasingly in question.

Tax credits will be in the news until the end of the year and prominent in Campaign 2026 politics but the value proposition on which the industry has operated will be the focus beyond. Like every sector in healthcare, increased scrutiny is certain.”

Paul Keckley, Nov. 16, 2025

New to KnowNews to Know

  • The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently announced 2026 premiums, deductibles and coinsurance amounts for Medicare Parts A and B.
  • The MHA offices will be closed and no formal meetings will be scheduled Nov. 27 and 28 in honor of Thanksgiving.
  • Due to the holiday, Monday Report will not be published Dec. 1 and will resume its normal schedule Dec. 8.
  • The American Hospital Association released the first three chapter of its 2025 National Governance Report.

MHA in the News

The MHA received media coverage during the week of Nov. 17 covering the Rural Health Transformation Program, the MHA’s Community Impact Report and medical debt. Bridge published a story Nov. 19 on the Rural Health …

MHA Keystone Center PSO Hosts Virtual Care Safe Table

Member News, Patient Safety and Quality

Registration is open for the MHA Keystone Center Patient Safety Organization (PSO) Virtual Care Safe Table in partnership with Henry Ford Health. The event will take place from 12:30 to 4 p.m. Dec. 3 at the MHA Headquarters in Okemos.

The safe table will introduce virtual care in the healthcare setting and discuss how organizations can use this model to support patient safety through proactive monitoring and early identification of patient deterioration, which can lead to faster clinical interventions and help reduce code blue events. The session will also highlight how virtual care can support bedside teams by completing tasks such as documentation and patient education, allowing in-person staff to remain focused on direct patient care. Examples of improved efficiency and care coordination will be shared throughout the discussion.

At the end of the program, attendees will be able to:

  • Identify opportunities to leverage virtual care to improve healthcare quality and safety.
  • Understand how to coordinate with IT teams to protect data during virtual care activities.
  • Describe methods to maintain safety and quality standards in both in-person and virtual settings.
  • Develop and sustain standardized nursing workflows for virtual care that align with organizational needs.

The safe table is free of charge for MHA Keystone PSO members and lunch is provided.

Chief quality officers, chief safety officers, chief nursing officers, chief medical officers, vice presidents of quality, safety and risk, vice presidents of clinical transformation, directors of quality improvement and directors or managers of patient safety and performance improvement are encouraged to register.

Nursing education credits are being pursued.

Members with questions may contact the MHA Keystone Center PSO.

MHA Keystone Board Reviews Workplace Violence Prevention and Maternal Health Efforts

Member News, Patient Safety and Quality

The MHA Keystone Board of Directors met Nov. 12 to review ongoing work to improve safety and quality across member organizations. The meeting opened with a connect-to-purpose story shared by Keystone Board Chair Doug Dascenzo, DNP, RN, CENP, vice president of nursing operations, Henry Ford Health, which reinforced Keystone’s focus on preventing workplace violence.

The board discussed strategies to address violence in healthcare settings, including clinics and off-site locations. Members reviewed efforts to strengthen policies, training and coordinated approaches that support safer environments for healthcare workers. The discussion emphasized that workplace violence affects staff well-being, patient safety and overall organizational performance.

The board also reviewed maternal health priorities, including the MI AIM program and the framework for maternal levels of care. The overview highlighted how levels of care categorize facilities based on their ability to provide specialized maternal services, ensuring that patients receive appropriate care tailored to their clinical needs.

The board will receive a detailed presentation on Keystone initiatives related to maternal health at a future meeting. The presentation will outline opportunities for board support in advancing work to improve maternal and infant care.

The meeting reaffirmed Keystone’s commitment to addressing critical safety and quality issues through collaborative leadership and continuous improvement.

Members with questions may contact Amy Brown at the MHA.

MHA Keystone Center Annual Report Highlights Safety and Quality Initiatives

Member News, Patient Safety and Quality

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 the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) through Superior Health Quality Alliance, resulting in 268,656 harms avoided, a $1.02B return on investment and a 20% relative improvement rate in hospital readmissions.
  • A partnership with Lawrence Technological University to create the Healthcare Violence Reduction Center to research solutions to healthcare workplace violence.
  • The return of the MHA Keystone Center Safety & Quality Symposium, where more than 100 healthcare professionals convened to share strategies for advancing workforce resilience and patient well-being.

Printed copies are available upon request.

Members with questions about the report should contact the MHA Keystone Center.

McLaren Greater Lansing Hospital Nurse Honored with MHA Keystone Center Speak-up! Award

Member News
Nicole Pitcher, MHA; Gary Roth, MHA; Rachel Heise, BSN, RN, McLaren Greater Lansing Hospital; MHA CEO Brian Peters and Adam Novak, MHA, pictured during the Q2 Speak-up! Award presentation.

The Michigan Health & Hospital Association (MHA) Keystone Center recognized Rachel Heise, BSN, RN at McLaren Greater Lansing Hospital, as its MHA Keystone Center Speak-up! Award recipient for the second quarter of 2025.

The Speak-up! Award honors individuals or teams in Michigan hospitals who demonstrate an exceptional commitment to preventing harm to patients or staff.

Heise was recognized for speaking up when she noticed a patient’s signed surgical consent form did not match the patient’s reason for admission.

“As a nurse, I hold a deep responsibility to protect my patients’ well-being,” said Heise. “Identifying this clerical error was an important step to ensure my patient received the appropriate care.”

“Rachel’s dedication to her patients reflects the ‘speak-up for safety’ standards we uphold across our organization,” said Linda Peterson, MD, FAPA, FAPM, chief medical officer at McLaren Greater Lansing. “Her careful work directly improved the patient’s experience and is a prime example of putting our established safety protocols into action.”

Additional Speak-up! finalists for the second quarter of 2025 included:

  • Kylee Zomerlei, Corewell Health Grand Rapids
  • Danielle Arnold, Corewell Health Grand Rapids
  • Deborah Kensick, Corewell Health Grosse Pointe Hospital

“It’s an honor to recognize nurses like Rachel whose actions set the standard for excellence in patient care,” said MHA CEO Brian Peters. “Her attention to detail played a vital role in ensuring her patient received the correct treatment.”

More information about the MHA Keystone Center Speak-up! Award, including criteria and a nomination form, is available online.

CE Credits Available for Maternal Health Quality Improvement Modules

Member News

Continuing education (CE) credits are now available for obstetric teams that complete the Michigan Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (MI AIM) virtual modules.

The approximately three-hour series consists of the following modules:

MI AIM Collaborative Orientation

Focuses on criteria for each program year by highlighting requirements for birthing hospital participation, data collection and reporting, and quality improvement implementation.

MI AIM Data Overview

Walks through the KeyMetrics system, how to navigate the pages within the dashboard, filter between hospital, region and state data, and interpret data and graphs.

Fundamentals of Quality Improvement

Provides an exploration of the Quality Improvement Model, the Plan, Do, Study, Act cycle, instructions on conducting a GAP analysis and for crafting SMART goals.

MI AIM designed these modules for data personnel, quality improvement practitioners and program managers responsible for tracking hospital participation in MI AIM. The National Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM) created modules specifically for clinical teams implementing AIM patient safety bundles.

Staff at birthing hospitals in Prosperity Region 10 are eligible to receive $25 gift cards for completing one of the courses. Participants must fill out an attestation survey to receive a gift card. Members with questions about the modules or CE credits may reach out to Naomi Rosner at the MHA Keystone Center.

MHA Keystone Center PSO Hosts Human Errors and Design Thinking Safe Table

Member News

Registration is open for the MHA Keystone Center Patient Safety Organization (PSO) Human Errors and Design Thinking Safe Table. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 1 at the MHA Headquarters in Okemos.

This safe table event introduces human factors in healthcare, exploring how human errors occur and how Human Factors Engineering design principles can reduce their impact.

At the end of the program, attendees will be able to:

  • Explain the evolution of traditional safety approaches.
  • Understand the purpose of proactive and reactive safety processes.
  • Integrate new frameworks within existing ones.

The Safe Table is free of charge for MHA Keystone PSO members and lunch is provided.

Chief quality officers, chief safety officers, chief nursing officers, chief medical officers, vice presidents of quality, safety and risk, vice presidents of clinical transformation, directors of quality improvement and directors or managers of patient safety and performance improvement are encouraged to attend.

Nursing and risk continuing education credits and Continuing Medical Education credits are being pursued.

Members with questions may reach out to the MHA Keystone Center PSO.

MHA Monday Report Aug. 25, 2025

Member News, Monday Report

CMS Releases FY 2026 Final Rule for Skilled Nursing Facilities

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released a final rule to update the Medicare fee-for-service prospective payment system for skilled nursing facilities for fiscal year (FY) 2026. Key provisions include: Increasing the per-diem federal rate …

MHA Community Benefits Survey for FY 2024 Now Open

The MHA is now accepting submissions for the fiscal year (FY) 2024 Community Benefits Survey. Member hospitals are encouraged to participate, as the survey results are vital to demonstrating the value of hospital community benefit …

Trustee Webinar Outlines the OBBBA Impact

The MHA will host the webinar Understanding the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and Board Planning for the Impact from 8 to 9 a.m. Sept. 24. The session is designed for trustees and hospital leaders and will highlight considerations …

MHA EBP care.ai Shares Case Study on Virtual Care Expansion

MHA Endorsed Business Partner (EBP) care.ai recently shared an insightful case study on how a 22-bed virtual care pilot with Henry Ford Health is expanding across 13-acute care hospitals, including a chief nursing informatics …

Keckley Report

The Medical Profession at a Crossroad

“When I was a grad student at Ohio State in the ‘70’s, one of the most challenging courses I took was “Primary Research Methods in Analyzing Public Data” –an elective. …

The data show the majority of physicians are unhappy and uncertain about the future of the profession. The data show they’re working harder and doing more with less. The data show they’re concerned about the future of the health system and think it’s heading in the wrong direction. The data show employed physicians are increasingly dissatisfied in their hospital and private equity relationships. The data show that physicians share of the growing health spending pie is shrinking: from 21.1% in 2000, to 20.1% in 2023 and projected to 19.9% in 2025 and 19.5% in 2033. And data show the profession, along with nurses and pharmacists, enjoys the public’s trust to figure things out. …

Might defining a vision for a transformed ‘U.S. System of Health’ be the focus for the medical profession? There’s plenty of data to digest to deliberate objectively. Its willingness and ability to set aside its factionalism for the greater good is the biggest question facing the profession. And the widely-recognized dysfunction of the current U.S. health system presents the urgent opportunity for the profession to step forward. That’s the cross facing the profession.”

Paul Keckley, August 17, 2025

New to KnowNews to Know

The MHA is developing its 2025-2026 events and education calendar, featuring professional development opportunities, networking events and timely, relevant offerings for members.

MHA in the News

The MHA received media coverage during the week of Aug. 18 that continued to focus on the impact the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will have on Medicaid as well as comments related to …

MHA Monday Report Aug. 18, 2025

Member News, Monday Report

CMS Releases FY 2026 LTCH Prospective Payment System Final Rule

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released a final rule to update the Medicare fee-for-service long-term care hospital (LTCH) prospective payment system for fiscal year (FY) 2026. Specifically, the …

MHA Keystone Center and MI AIM Announce Recipients of Maternal Health Education Grant

The MHA Keystone Center, in collaboration with the Michigan Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (MI AIM), recently announced a partnership with UnitedHealthcare to offer $25,000 grants to birthing hospitals in Michigan to purchase equipment …

CMS Releases FY 2026 Final Rule for Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released a final rule to update the Medicare fee-for-service prospective payment system for inpatient rehabilitation facilities for fiscal year (FY) 2026. Key provisions include: …

Keckley Report

Health Industry Notoriety is a Two-Edged Sword: Four Considerations as the Mid-Term Elections Near

“Keeping track of all things healthcare is a formidable task.  Last week’s news is no exception: …

These events and actions illustrate the administration’s “flood the zone” strategy and its propensity to dictate news cycles in media coverage. They also reflect the ubiquitous role played by healthcare in our society as an employer and economic engine.

Collectively, they appear to cast the industry in a negative light reinforcing populist’ suspicions about affordability, price transparency, corporatization and cost-containment. And they lend to growing disfavor among lawmakers, employers and critics. …”

Paul Keckley, Aug. 10, 2025

New to KnowNews to Know

  • Registration is open for the 2025 MHA Communications Retreat from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 1 at the Henry Center for Executive Development in Lansing.
  • In the latest episode of the MiCare Champion Cast, MHA CEO Brian Peters and MHA Board Chair Bill Manns, president and CEO, Bronson Healthcare, explore what’s top of mind in healthcare as the 2025-2026 program year kicks off.