Tag: Michigan Hospitals

An Open Letter to Michigan Patients and Communities

Issues in Healthcare, News Releases, Member News

The following letter is on behalf of all Michigan hospitals and health systems signifying their unified opposition to proposed House Bills 4550-4552, which threaten to put patient care at risk across Michigan.

Dear Michigan Families,

Our shared mission as hospitals is to advance the health of individuals and communities. For decades, we’ve worked collaboratively – not competitively – on the things that matter most to you: delivering safe, high-quality care when you need it, where you need it, whether that’s in downtown Detroit or the farthest reaches of the Upper Peninsula and everywhere in between. Maintaining timely access to services for every patient is what we work to preserve every single day.

Unfortunately, the Michigan Legislature is currently considering legislation that would result in the closure of more than 5,100 hospital beds statewide. That’s the equivalent of closing every hospital north of Grand Rapids and Flint. The legislation sounds good in a sound bite: more nurses at the bedside, ‘round the clock. But like most things in life, it’s not that simple. Michigan hospitals currently have 8,400 nurse openings posted on job boards. Hospitals are focused at the local level on listening to nurses, getting them the resources they need to do their jobs effectively and have work-life balance, and protecting them from violent attacks in the workplace. Hospitals proudly fought to get tougher penalties enacted for visitors who attack healthcare workers, and this week that bill will go to Governor Whitmer’s desk. We’re also focused on building effective care teams and not relying only on RNs to care for patients 24/7. We’re partnering with higher education to build nurse training and education programs and capacity.

Sadly, House Bills 4550 – 4552 override local nurses’ decision-making about how to staff their units and care for patients. Instead, they would implement a government mandate that would apply a one-size-fits-all nurse-to-patient ratio for RNs in every hospital, no matter its size, location, how sick its patients are or how experienced its nurses and care teams are. We, 100% of Michigan’s hospitals, stand united in our opposition to this misguided legislation. The Michigan Organization of Nursing Leadership and the American Nurses Association – Michigan, who both recognize the unintended consequences the legislation would have on patient access, also oppose mandated staffing ratios.

We all want more nurses. That’s why we’re trying to hire 8,400 of them today. For hospitals to meet the mandates in the legislation, they would have to find more than 13,000 nurses to hire. If we can’t fill the 8,400 openings we have now, how would we fill 13,000 positions – and at a time when nurses are also critically needed in nursing homes and other settings? Unfortunately, this legislation will force the hospitals you rely on to be there if you’re in a car accident, fall off the ladder hanging Christmas lights or are battling a terrible disease, to either break the law and keep services running without the mandatory nurse ratios (which will also make healthcare more expensive due to billion dollars in fines that will be assessed), or instead, they will close services and beds. That means longer wait times for everything from emergency visits to surgeries. It means many of Michigan’s 130 hospitals could all be “on diversion” at the same time, meaning patients get bounced around because nobody has open beds. This is an awful experience for patients and could be deadly especially in Michigan’s rural areas or amidst bad weather. Studies have proven that statewide nurse patient ratios implemented in California did not improve safety or outcomes. Their hospitals overall are not safer than Michigan’s. Nurses did not flock to California when they adopted ratios. In fact, California currently has a nurse shortage numbering in the tens of thousands. Ratios didn’t fix that – and it won’t fix the shortage in Michigan.

Hospitals and our nurse leaders – as well as a large coalition of organizations across industries, who all oppose this legislation – are imploring the Legislature to preserve access to care, and let local patients’ needs drive a hospital’s staffing models. Let’s use innovative programs like virtual nursing to support patient care and let nurses do the bedside work they do best. Let our care teams work together across professions to ensure a patient gets what they need and we maintain a robust and diverse pipeline of patient care professionals. Let’s work together on common-sense solutions that nearly every other state has adopted, like being part of the national Nurse Licensure Compact allowing licensed nurses to work in other states. Let’s work together on rebuilding our nursing and patient care professional talent pipeline.

Adopting misguided legislation that will reduce services and close hospital beds, and that will do nothing to create the thousands of new nurses we need in Michigan, is bad public policy. Instead, let’s remember that there’s so much we have done, and can do, together. Let’s get to work on real solutions that will protect patients, protect access, grow the nursing workforce and ensure those nurses have safe, fulfilling workplaces.

Sincerely,

Brian Peters
CEO
Michigan Health & Hospital Association

Carol Schmidt
SVP Ascension, & Ministry Market Executive
Ascension Michigan

Dean Kindler MD
President & CEO SW Region
Ascension Borgess, Lee, Pipp & Allegan Hospitals

Douglas Apple MD
Chief Clinical Officer & Interim President and CEO Ascension Genesys Hospital

Michael Wiemann MD
Regional President & CEO
Ascension Michigan – Southfield, Novi, Rochester

Kevin Grady MD
Regional President & CEO
Ascension Michigan – Warren, Madison Heights, St. John and River District

Jordan Jeon
Interim Regional President Ascension
Ascension Standish Hospital and St. Joseph

Christine Harff BSN
Regional President, Upper Peninsula
Aspirus Iron River, Keweenaw and Ontonagon Hospitals

Paula Chermside
Chief Administrative Officer
Aspirus Ironwood Hospital & Clinics, Inc.

Rob Stowe
Chief Executive Officer
Baraga County Memorial Hospital

Maria Behr
President
Beacon Health System – Three Rivers Health System, Inc.

Dustin Ames
Chief Executive Officer
Beaumont Behavioral Health

Bill Manns
President & CEO
Bronson Healthcare Group

Steve Vernon
Chief Executive Officer
Cedar Creek Hospital

Fazleomar Mahmood MD
Chief Medical Officer
Chelsea Hospital

Benjamin Miles
President
Chelsea Hospital

Cheryl Taylor MSN, RN
Chief Nursing Officer
Chelsea Hospital

Tina Freese Decker
President & CEO
Corewell Health

Andrea Leslie MSN, RN
Regional Market Leader
Corewell Health Big Rapids, Greenville, and Reed City Hospitals

Darryl Elmouchi MD
Interim President, Corewell Health in Southeast Michigan
Corewell Health East

Chris Fox RN
Chief Nursing Officer
Corewell Health Lakeland Hospitals – St. Joseph Hospital

Drew Dostal BSN
Regional Market Leader
Corewell Health Ludington and Gerber Hospital

Bill Hoefer
Market Leader
Corewell Health Pennock and Zeeland Hospitals

Loren Hamel MD
President, Corewell Health in Southwest Michigan
Corewell Health South

Connie Harmon RN
Chief Nursing Officer
Corewell Health Watervliet Hospital

Alejandro Quiroga MD
President of Corewell Health West
Corewell Health West

Debbie Guido-Allen BSN, RN
President
Corewell Health’s Beaumont Hospital, Dearborn

Derk Pronger
President
Corewell Health’s Beaumont Hospital, Farmington Hills and Grosse Pointe

Daniel Carey MD
President
Corewell Health’s Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak

Kristine Donahue RN
President
Corewell Health’s Beaumont Hospital, Taylor, Trenton and Wayne

Nancy Susick MSN, RN
President
Corewell Health’s Beaumont Hospital, Troy

Beth Charlton BSN, RN
President/CEO
Covenant HealthCare

Angela McConnachie MSN, RN
Chief Executive Officer
Deckerville Community Hospital and Marlette Regional Hospital

Brittany Lavis
Group Chief Executive Officer
Detroit Medical Center

Archie Drake BSN
Chief Executive Officer
DMC Children’s Hospital of Michigan

Brady Dubois
Chief Executive Officer
DMC Detroit Harper and Receiving Hospitals

Patty Jobbit
Chief Executive Officer
DMC Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan

Lance Beus
Chief Executive Officer
DMC Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital

Gary Purushotham
Chief Executive Officer
DMC Sinai-Grace Hospital

Timothy Johnson
President and Chief Executive Officer
Eaton Rapids Medical Center

Michael Nanzer
Chief Executive Officer
Forest View Hospital

Saju George
Regional CEO – Prime Healthcare MI Market
Garden City Hospital and Lake Huron Medical Center

Jill Wehner
President & CEO
Harbor Beach Community Hospital Inc.

Jamie White
Chief Executive Officer
Havenwyck

Michael Beaulieu MD
Chief Medical Officer
Helen Newberry Joy Hospital & Healthcare Center

Hunter Nostrant
President & Chief Executive Officer
Helen Newberry Joy Hospital & Healthcare Center

Michele Petersen MSN, BSN, RN
Chief Nursing Officer
Helen Newberry Joy Hospital & Healthcare Center

Robert Riney
President and CEO
Henry Ford Health

Andrew Daniels
President & CEO
Hills & Dales General Hospital

Jeremiah Hodshire
President & Chief Executive Officer
Hillsdale Hospital

Dale Sowders
Chief Executive Officer
Holland Hospital

Patti VanDort MSN, RN
President
Holland Hospital

Melany Gavulic RN
President and CEO
Hurley Medical Center

Kevin Rogols
Chief Executive Officer
Kalkaska Memorial Health Center

Karen Cheeseman
President & Chief Executive Officer
Mackinac Straits Health System, Inc.

Amanda Shelast
President
Marshfield Medical Center – Dickinson

Kent Riddle
Chief Executive Officer
Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation

Steve Barnett CRNA
President & CEO
McKenzie Health System

Darrell Lentz
President & CEO
McLaren Bay Region

Connie Koutouzos
President & CEO
McLaren Caro Region & McLaren Thumb Region

Robert David
President and Chief Executive Officer
McLaren Central Michigan

Jeannie Sage MSN, RN
Chief Nursing Officer
McLaren Central Michigan

Chris Candela
President & CEO
McLaren Flint

Kirk Ray
President & CEO
McLaren Greater Lansing

Philip Incarnati
President and Chief Executive Officer
McLaren Health Care

Tim Vargas
President & CEO
McLaren Lapeer Region

Thomas Brisse
President & CEO
McLaren Macomb

Chad Grant
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
McLaren Northern Michigan

Tracey Franovich RN
President & CEO
McLaren Oakland

Eric Cecava
President & CEO
McLaren Port Huron

Brian Long
President and CEO
Memorial Healthcare

Marilyn Beverly
President, Board of Trustees
Munising Memorial Hospital

Jim Parker
Chief Executive Officer
Munising Memorial Hospital

Edwin Ness
MHC President & CEO
Munson Healthcare

Peter Marinoff
Cadillac Community President, South Region President
Munson Healthcare Cadillac Hospital

Joanne Schroeder
President
Munson Healthcare Charlevoix Hospital

Kirsten Korth-White
President and CEO, Grayling Hospital & East Region President
Munson Healthcare Grayling Hospital

Kelly Tomaszewski MSN, RN
President
Munson Healthcare Manistee and Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital

Christopher Squire
Community Hospital President
Munson Healthcare Otsego Memorial Hospital

Kathy Laraia
Interim President
Munson Medical Center

Lydia Watson MD
President and Chief Executive Officer
MyMichigan Health

Marita Hattem-Schiffman
Central Region President
MyMichigan Medical Center Alma, Clare and Mt. Pleasant

Michael Erickson
President Northern Region
MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena

Ray Stover
Eastern Region President
MyMichigan Medical Center Gladwin and West Branch

Chuck Sherwin
President
MyMichigan Medical Center Midland

Kevin Kalchik
President
MyMichigan Medical Center Sault

Gregg Beeg
President & CEO
Oaklawn Hospital

Kelly Jefferson MSN, RN
President
OSF St. Francis Hospital and Medical Group

Mark Eastburg
President and Chief Executive Officer
Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services

Julie Yaroch DO
President
ProMedica Charles & Virginia Hickman Hospital

Darrin Arquette
President
ProMedica Monroe and Coldwater Regional Hospitals

Ross Ramsey MD
President and CEO
Scheurer Health

Andy Bertapelle MSN, RN
Chief Executive Officer
Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital

Lili Petricevic BSN
Chief Executive Officer
Sheridan Community Hospital

Mark Brisboe
President
Sparrow Carson and Clinton Hospital

Linda Reetz BSN, RN
President
Sparrow Eaton and Ionia Hospitals

Denny Martin DO
President, University of Michigan Health-Sparrow Lansing
Sparrow Hospital

Bradley Bescoe
President and CEO
Straith Hospital for Special Surgery

Bobby Morin
Chief Operating Officer and CFO
Sturgis Hospital

Rob Casalou
President & CEO
Trinity Health Michigan, Florida and Georgia Regions

Shannon Striebich
President & CEO
Trinity Health Michigan

Katy Hoffman MSN, RN
Chief Nursing Officer
Trinity Health Ann Arbor and Livingston

David Vandenberg MD
Chief Medical Officer
Trinity Health Ann Arbor and Livingston

Alonzo Lewis
President
Trinity Health Ann Arbor Hospital

Shelleye Yaklin
President
Trinity Health Grand Haven Hospital

Michelle Pena MSN, RN
Chief Nursing Officer
Trinity Health Grand Rapids

Matthew Biersack MD
President
Trinity Health Grand Rapids Hospital

Cindy Elliot MD
President
Trinity Health IHA Medical Group

Mohammad Salameh MD
Chief Medical Officer
Trinity Health IHA Medical Group

John O’Malley
President
Trinity Health Livingston Hospital

Nick Nickolopoulos BSN, RN
Chief Nursing Officer
Trinity Health Livonia

Lisa Kinsey Callaway MD
Chief Medical Officer
Trinity Health Medical Group – West Michigan

Douglas Dascenzo DNP, RN
Regional Chief Nursing Officer
Trinity Health Michigan

Rosalie Tocco-Bradley MD
Chief Clinical Officer
Trinity Health Michigan

Linda Dunmore RN
Chief Nursing Officer
Trinity Health Muskegon

Gary Allore
President
Trinity Health Muskegon Hospital

Fabian Fregoli MD
Chief Medical Officer
Trinity Health Oakland

Marschall Runge MD
Chief Executive Officer
Michigan Medicine

Margaret Dimond
Regional System President
University of Michigan Health

Ronald Grifka MD
President & CMO
University of Michigan Health – West

David Miller MD
President
University of Michigan Health

Mitch Leckelt
Chief Executive Officer
UP Health System – Bell

Gar Atchison
Chief Executive Officer
UP Health System – Marquette

Tonya Darner
Interim CEO
UP Health System – Marquette

Ryan Heinonen MSN, RN
Chief Executive Officer
UP Health System – Portage

MHA CEO Report — Preserving Patient Access to Care

MHA Rounds

“For every complex problem, there is an answer that is clear, simple and wrong.”  – H.L. Mencken

Nurses are the heart and soul of our healthcare ecosystem. They were heroes long before the COVID-19 pandemic, they stepped up in extraordinary ways during the darkest days of that chapter in our history and they remain heroes today. Anyone who has spent time as a patient – or the family member of a patient – knows how impactful nurses can be, and how they truly become the face of our healthcare experience. In short, they deserve our admiration and support.

Our Michigan hospitals are proud to employ more than 62,000 nurses and the reality is that we are desperately trying to hire thousands more in every corner of the state. In terms of the supply of nurses, Michigan is confronting the same dynamics as the rest of the country. First, the significant number of baby boomers reaching senior status in recent years has translated to a growing exodus of nurses to normal retirement, while the unprecedented stress of the pandemic and its aftermath led many more to leave the field earlier than planned. As we engage with our leaders throughout the state, there is no question that the day-to-day work of our nurses has never been more challenging, and the rise in self-reported burnout rates is real and palpable.

On the first day of graduate school, one of my professors said something that I have subsequently heard many times throughout my career, and it is unequivocally true: “healthcare is not rocket science…. it’s much more complex than that.” This complexity is not limited to the incredible science behind our medical diagnoses and interventions, but extends to the organization and financing of that care as well. In practical terms, what this means is that absolutely nothing in healthcare happens in a vacuum – every potential lever to be pulled in the operational or public policy realm is impacted by a complex set of interwoven realities.

A case in point: recently-introduced state legislation (Senate Bills 334–336 and House Bills 4550–4552) would create mandatory minimum nurse-to-patient staffing ratios for Michigan hospitals. On the surface, such a mandate would seemingly ensure that we will have more nurses on the hospital floor, simultaneously alleviating their stress and creating better, safer care for patients. I would like to explain why this clear and simple proposal is flat out wrong.

Every single day in every single Michigan hospital, nursing leaders determine appropriate staffing levels in the emergency department, the labor and delivery unit, and in every other corner of the facility. These decisions take into account a complex set of variables, including the volume and acuity level of patients in house at that time, the training level and experience of not only the nurses, but all other members of the care delivery team, the various technologies that may or may not be available for deployment, and a wealth of in-house data and metrics that are updated multiple times per day. Seasoned nurse leaders have developed a good sense of the unique dynamics in a given community and in a given hospital, and they use their long experience to ensure the safest possible staffing models accordingly.

Here is the bottom line: even if there was a robust, immediately available supply of nurses to meet the proposed minimum staffing ratio mandate (there is objectively not), and even if there was an unlimited supply of available funding to pay for this new staffing (there is objectively not), there is simply no way on earth that it makes sense to replace the expert judgment of nurse leaders at the local level with a one-size-fits-all, inflexible model developed by politicians in Lansing. 

There is a good reason why the Michigan Organization of Nurse Leaders (MONL) is adamantly opposed to this legislation, and good reason why many nurse leaders I have spoken with in recent months have said they are personally offended by the premise behind it. Such a mandate would create an untenable situation for hospitals when a patient shows up and the facility is already at the mandated ratio: willingly ignore the law and risk penalties, fines and reputational damage, or follow the law and essentially tell the prospective patient “There is no room at the inn” and send them down the road. Of course, the hospital down the road will be in precisely the same boat. Without question, more hospitals will go on diversion, more hospitals will temporarily or permanently take beds offline, and more hospitals will make the difficult decision to eliminate entire service lines. In other words, the real losers here are patients and communities, who will lose access to care. This will be a reality in every corner of the state, and particularly alarming as we consider winters in rural Michigan and the distance between providers. Access reductions will become very serious, very quickly.

In public policy and politics, it is often instructive to examine other states that have already implemented a policy that is under consideration. To that end, California was the first state to adopt legislatively mandated nurse staffing ratios, some two decades ago. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Michigan has a greater number of nurses per capita today than California. Despite having staffing ratios, California continues to have a shortage of 40,000 RNs, demonstrating they are suffering from the same problem as all other states in the country and the presence of legislatively mandated staffing ratios has done virtually nothing to improve the size of the workforce. Meanwhile, Michigan outperforms California in hospital quality, as Michigan has both a higher percentage of 4- and 5-star hospitals than California (49% to 35.3%) and a lower percentage of 1- and 2-star hospitals (18.4% to 38.7%), according to CMS Care Compare Hospital Overall Star Ratings.

Legislation similar to what is now being proposed here in Michigan was recently defeated in Minnesota, after the leadership of every single hospital in the state raised grave concerns about the severe negative consequences of its passage. The Mayo Clinic – world-renowned for its quality of care – publicly threatened to withdraw billions of dollars in planned investment in the state should the bill be adopted. The fact that an organization of their reputation and credibility felt so strongly about the negative ramifications of this concept should be a major red flag for policymakers in all states.

The mission of the MHA is to advance the health of individuals and communities. When we see public policy proposals that jeopardize our ability to achieve this mission, no matter how well-intended, we will do everything in our power to stand strong, to stand united and tell our story to our elected officials. Healthcare is complex, and Michiganders deserve better than ham-handed mandates coming from Lansing.

As always, I welcome your thoughts.

MiCare Champions Healthcare Advocates

Member News
MI Care Matters

MI Care MattersThe MHA continues to utilize public healthcare ambassadors, referred to as MiCare Champions, to advocate for public policy needs for Michigan hospitals and health systems.

The MiCareMatters campaign originally launched in 2017 with the aim to educate the public about Michigan hospitals’ efforts to lead the way to create healthy, thriving communities and to build a network of citizens – “MiCare Champions” – who want to engage in advocacy efforts to protect access to adorable healthcare services in Michigan. There are more than 450 active MiCare Champions that have collectively contacted their lawmakers thousands of times about healthcare issues in recent years.

The MHA currently has an action alert available for individuals to contact their state lawmakers to advocate for the MHA’s legislative request for an additional $112.5 million in American Rescue Plan funding to address the accelerating crisis created by a lack of healthcare professionals available to care for Michigan patients and $85 million to enhance the safety of the workforce.  Continued messages to state lawmakers are important to signal the value of this request to hospitals and communities throughout the state.

The MHA is also utilizing MiCare Champions to solicit stories about how healthcare workers at Michigan hospitals have positively impacted them as patients or family members of patients. Stories can be submitted to the MHA and will be used by the MHA in the on-going public awareness campaign to tell the story of how hospitals continue to provide high quality care despite existing financial and staffing challenges.

Those who wish to become a MiCare Champion can subscribe on the MiCareMatters website. Members with questions should contact John Karasinski at the MHA.