Modern Healthcare - MHA | Michigan Health & Hospital Association

Crain’s Op-Ed: Hospital financial strain is unsustainable, threatens access to care

September 23, 2022 Issues in Healthcare, MHA In The News, Top Issues - Healthcare

Crain’s Detroit Business published an op-ed from MHA CEO Brian Peters Sept. 22 on the unsustainable financial strain currently being experienced by Michigan hospitals and health systems. The op-ed was in response to a Sept. 2 Modern Healthcare article detailing the struggles of hospitals nationwide.

Peters describes the untenable situation where hospitals are experiencing skyrocketing costs combined with stagnant and inadequate reimbursement and staffing challenges. Statewide, Michigan has lost approximately 1,700 staffed hospital beds since 2020 due to lack of available staff. Peters also mentioned the many actions the MHA and member hospitals are taking to address these challenges.

“Multiple factors have contributed to the drain on hospital resources: fewer workers, increasingly sicker patients, and higher costs that cannot keep up with inflation,” said Peters. “According to a new American Hospital Association report, the average length of a hospital stay rose almost 10 percent from 2019 to 2021. Compensation for direct jobs in nursing and residential care rose by about $200 million from 2019 to 2020, but the number of jobs fell by about 11,000. Hospital labor expenses per patient also increased 19 percent. Health care reimbursement is unable to quickly respond to inflation since rates are negotiated in advance, presenting additional financial challenges.

MHA Ranked as One of the Best Places to Work in 2021

September 21, 2021October 28, 2022 Issues in Healthcare, Top Issues - Healthcare, News Releases, Member News

The Michigan Health & Hospital Association (MHA) has been ranked No.43 among healthcare suppliers in Modern Healthcare’s 2021 Best Places to Work award program. The complete list of this year’s winner rankings is available at ModernHealthcare.com/bestplacestowork. Modern Healthcare will publish a special supplement featuring the ranked list of all winners along with the Sept. 20 issue of MH magazine.

“It’s a tremendous honor for the MHA to receive this award as we navigate a new-normal following some of the most challenging years in healthcare,” said MHA CEO Brian Peters. “We owe this recognition to our resilient employees whose work and passion drive our mission of advancing the health of Michigan communities.”

Modern Healthcare partnered with the Best Companies Group on the assessment process, which includes an extensive employee survey. While this program has evolved over the years, its mission remains the same: recognizing workplaces that empower employees to provide patients and customers the best possible care, products and services.

As the healthcare industry sits squarely on the frontlines of this pandemic, the mission of the Best Places to Work program has only become more important. Healthcare leaders have proven that creating nurturing, supportive workplaces for their most valuable asset, their employees, is vital.

“The healthcare workforce has undergone a true test in the past year and a half, oftentimes pitting employees against employers. So how best to keep harmony in a workplace that is inherently stressful? This year’s winners have an easy tip to incorporate: show respect. In high-performing and successful teams, regard for employees’ well-being, acknowledgment of their contributions, and deference to their experience and dedication all helped maintain professionalism and productivity,” said Aurora Aguilar, Editor of Modern Healthcare. “We congratulate all of the Best Places to Work in Healthcare for emphasizing that compassion and respect are essential to an engaged and productive workforce.”

The MHA was honored at the 2021 Best Places to Work Gala on Thursday, Sept. 16. The MHA is the only state hospital association to have been named a 2021 awardee. This is the MHA’s third time as a Best Place to Work in Healthcare after having won the award in 2010 and 2012.

Brian Peters Discusses Implicit Bias Training Requirement with Modern Healthcare

June 9, 2021January 17, 2023 MHA In The News

Modern Healthcare published an interview with MHA CEO Brian Peters June 7 discussing the new administrative rules adopted by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs that require implicit bias training as part of the knowledge and skills necessary for licensure or registration of healthcare professionals in Michigan. The interview is part of The Check Up, a Modern Healthcare video interview series with executives from across the healthcare industry on key leadership issues.

The story includes a video interview between Peters and Modern Healthcare Managing Editor Matthew Weinstock. Throughout the conversation, Peters discusses the MHA’s support of efforts to reduce barriers to access care address and to eliminate health disparities. Also discussed was the MHA membership’s commitment to lead on this issue, with Peters citing the MHA Pledge to Address Racism and Health Inequities as an example. A transcript of the interview is also available in the story.

“The Michigan Health and Hospital Association is very supportive of this direction that Governor Whitmer and her team is taking and this is a group effort,” said Peters. “This is, as I’ve said for a long time, an all hands on deck effort. Because if it is strictly hospitals or strictly a physician practices or strictly skilled nursing facilities that are doing this work, we’re never going to get where we need to be. This is something that the entire care continuum, but even beyond the care continuum, we need to join arms. We need to learn from each other. I think this is a step in the right direction. It’s one step of what I think will be many steps that that will be necessary in this journey. But the bottom line is we’re on the journey and that’s something to celebrate. I think having the conversation and the sunlight, if you will, on this issue finally is something to have to be very proud of. I know we’re very excited to be part of this work.”

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MHA Recognized as One of the Best Places to Work in Healthcare in 2021

June 1, 2021October 27, 2022 Issues in Healthcare, Top Issues - Healthcare, News Releases, Member News

The MHA has been named a 2021 Best Place to Work in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare. This award program identifies and recognizes outstanding employers in the healthcare industry nationwide. Modern Healthcare partners with the Best Companies Group on the assessment process, which includes an extensive employee survey. The MHA is the only state hospital association to have been named a 2021 awardee. This is the MHA’s third time as a Best Place to Work in Healthcare after having won the award in 2010 and 2012.

“The MHA prides itself on being a mission-driven employer that values our team members and their families above all else,” said MHA CEO Brian Peters. “We are honored to have again been named a Best Place to Work by Modern Healthcare. This annual list is developed based on a challenging set of metrics and criteria. We thank our employees for their dedication to supporting our mission of advancing the health of individuals and communities and their support of members and each other in this important work.”

“One year into the pandemic, we’ve seen the industry transform to meet the needs of its patients and employees,” said Aurora Aguilar, Modern Healthcare’s editor. “Time and time again, the most resilient and successful organizations show that empathy towards their staff, clear vision and compassion towards the patient buoys teams and sets them up for success. We congratulate the Best Places to Work in Healthcare for eliciting loyalty from their workforce and communities during harrowing times.”

The MHA will learn its specific ranking on the Best Places list and be celebrated at the 2021 Best Places to Work in Healthcare awards gala taking place in September in Chicago. Information on the award gala and conference is available at ModernHealthcare.com/BestPlacesGala.