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August 2023
Volume 4, Issue 8
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Inside the August MCRH Newsletter:
- Six Rural MI Hospitals Recognized by Becker's Hospital Review
- Michigan Rural Healthcare Facilities Recognized by CMS
- MCRH Supports Veterans Care in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
- MCRH Supports the Future of Rural Health in Michigan
- 2023 Michigan Critical Access Hospital Conference Partnerships
- And much, much more
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Six Rural Michigan Hospitals Recognized as Becker's Great Community Hospitals | |
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Recently, Becker's released the 2023 edition of its “Great community hospitals” list. This list included two rural MI PPS hospitals and four MI Critical Access Hospitals. Beckers noted that these community hospitals are lauded for their clinical excellence, compassionate care, and economic impact on their communities. Becker's editorial team selected hospitals for inclusion based on several outside rankings and ratings organizations, including Healthgrades, U.S. News & World Report, CMS, The Leapfrog Group, and The Chartis Center for Rural Health.
Below is a listing and description of the MI Rural Hospitals as provided by Becker’s:
Ascension Borgess Allegan (Mich.) Hospital. Ascension Borgess Allegan is a Critical Access Hospital with 25 licensed beds and a round-the-clock emergency care center. The hospital delivers a comprehensive scope of services, from primary care for non-acute health needs and chronic disease management to specialty care for serious and life-threatening injuries and illnesses. In addition, they also offer a wide range of outpatient testing including imaging, lab tests, respiratory therapy, and rehabilitation therapy services. It has a four-star CMS rating and has been named a top hospital in the nation by Healthgrades for 2023.
Ascension Borgess-Lee Hospital (Dowagiac, Mich.). Ascension Borgess-Lee is a Critical Access Hospital with 25 licensed beds, including 10 swing beds, an emergency care center, and a level IV trauma center. The hospital has been recognized with a 2022 performance leadership award for excellence in quality by The Chartis Center for Rural Health. It recently rolled out an innovative intranet resource for employees that provides information, resources, and engagement in one location.
Ascension St. Joseph Hospital (Tawas City, Mich.). As the only full-service rural and community hospital in Tawas City, Ascension St. Joseph Hospital is committed to serving the region's rural and agricultural communities. The 47-bed hospital offers a comprehensive suite of inpatient and outpatient medical services, supplemented by 11 offsite locations. Via participation in the Ascension Michigan Stroke Network, the hospital uses state-of-the-art telemedicine technology to provide rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke. Ascension St. Joseph has been recognized for eight consecutive years as a top rural and community hospital in the U.S. by The Chartis Center for Rural Health.
Ascension Standish (Mich.) Hospital. For over 57 years, critical access Ascension Standish Hospital has delivered individualized care to permanent and seasonal residents of the community. With 54 licensed beds, 25 acute and critical care beds, and 29 skilled nursing beds, the hospital provides emergency care and trauma services to patients via state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment technologies. As part of Ascension Michigan, hospital patients also have immediate access to some of the state's most renowned advanced specialty care. Ascension Standish Hospital is the only Critical Access Hospital in Michigan to receive a five-star quality rating from CMS.
Eaton Rapids (Mich.) Medical Center. The 20-bed system is one of the few independent Critical Access Hospitals in the U.S. It has recently added new service lines, including wound care, neurosurgery, robotics, and spinal fusions. It is the region's only hospital with a five-star CMS rating in patient satisfaction, and its average physician wait time is only 17 minutes.
Munson Healthcare Cadillac (Mich.) Hospital. Munson Healthcare Cadillac Hospital is a 49-bed nonprofit hospital that has offered a wide range of services for over 100 years. It is one of the nine community hospitals in the Munson Healthcare system, which is the largest and leading healthcare system in Northern Michigan. Cadillac Hospital is also one of the 10 hospitals in the state and 136 nationwide to receive a five-star CMS rating for overall hospital quality. The hospital is fully accredited by The Joint Commission and was nationally recognized for excellence in outcomes.
Congratulations on this outstanding achievement and recognition!
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2022 CMS Star Ratings:
Recognizing Excellence in Michigan Rural Healthcare Facilities
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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released the highly anticipated 2022 CMS Star Ratings. The CMS Star Ratings system evaluates various aspects of healthcare facilities, including clinical outcomes, patient experience, safety, and more. These ratings not only serve as a guide for patients seeking high-quality care but also encourage healthcare providers to continuously improve and strive for excellence. The star ratings range from one to five stars, with five stars indicating the highest level of quality and performance.
One notable aspect of the 2022 CMS Star Ratings is the recognition of exceptional rural healthcare facilities that have consistently delivered outstanding care to their communities.
Among these standouts are eight rural Prospective Payment System (PPS) facilities and five Critical Access Hospitals that proudly received the prestigious five-star rating. These facilities have proven their commitment to excellence in patient care and clinical outcomes.
Celebrating Rural PPS Facilities with Five Stars:
Recognizing Excellence in Critical Access Hospitals with Five Stars:
Additionally, eight Critical Access Hospitals also received a Star Rating of 3 and 4.
As the 2022 CMS Star Ratings celebrate these exceptional rural PPS hospitals and CAHs, they also highlight the collective commitment of healthcare professionals to deliver outstanding care.
Congratulations to these deserving rural hospitals on this honor!
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MCRH Continues Support of the OsteoCHAMPS Program | |
MCRH sponsored the scholarships of Andrew, Nichelini, and Ksenia to attend OsteoCHAMPS in East Lansing. | OsteoCHAMPS U.P.'s first class of future rural health professionals and innovators! | |
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The Michigan Center for Rural Health is a longstanding annual supporter of the Rural Michigan OsteoCHAMPS Scholarship Program through the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine.
In 2023, MCRH provided scholarships to three students to attend the OsteoCHAMPS session in East Lansing on the campus of MSU this summer.
Those students were:
- Andrew Mendians
- Nichelini Czerwonka
- Ksenia Solovyov
OsteoCHAMPS U.P. is a newly created program that took place last month at UP Health System-Marquette and Northern Michigan University. In its inaugural year, there were 14 students who participated and MCRH provided meals for all of the participants over the course of the program's three days.
MCRH continues to invest in the future of Michigan's rural health by supporting this incredible program and we cannot wait to see how these 2023 students contribute!
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2023 Michigan Critical Access Hospital Conference Partnership Opportunities | |
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Exhibitor Table Space Is Limited!
Join MCRH as an exhibiting partner at the upcoming Michigan Critical Access
Hospital Conference, November 9-10 at Park Place in Traverse City, Michigan.
Get your company's brand in front of invited C-Level decision makers from across Michigan as a table exhibitor and gain unique access to these executives by networking throughout the conference!
There are three table tiers (GOLD, SILVER, BRONZE) available to reach hospital CEOs, CFOs, CNOs, and Quality Managers during the Conference.
In addition, there are also two unique ways to put your brand in front of attendees through technology.
1) Sponsor a charging station with your brand logo and QR code to drive attendees to your website.
2) Become a sponsor of the Summit Guidebook App which puts your brand in front of participants throughout the event.
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I-REACH Program Participates in Successful
U.P. Veterans Event
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The event took place on August 2, 2023, in Calumet Township, Michigan
MCRH I-Reach Project Director, Jim Yates, was on hand this month at the Veterans Fair in Calumet Township, MI. The event was co-sponsored by The Houghton County Veteran Service Office, the Keweenaw County Veterans Affairs, and UP Together with Veterans.
Among the successes of the event were:
- 452 Veterans registered, and 600 Veterans & their families were fed.
- 89 Intent to File forms to the Veterans Administration were completed. Of which, 65 were new contacts for Veterans or dependents that had never been to the Houghton County VA office.
- The Veterans Administration held 2 PACT Act informational briefings and a Suicide Prevention Briefing.
- Many on-the-spot referrals were made for Veteran services, including some for emergency housing assistance.
- Several area Veteran Service Organizations stated they enrolled new members into their organizations.
For more information on upcoming Veterans events in the U.P. and other rural areas of Michigan, visit the MCRH veterans care page or email Jim Yates at: yatesja1@msu.edu
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On August 1, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the final rule for the Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and Long-term Care Hospital payments (LTCH-PPS) for fiscal year 2024.
Effective October 1, 2023, the IPPS rates will increase by 3.1% overall, increasing hospital payments by $2.2 billion. The rule continues the low wage index policy for FY 2024 and will treat rural classified hospitals as geographically rural for purposes of calculating the wage index.
It finalizes a policy designating Rural Emergency Hospitals (REHs) as graduate medical education (GME) training sites and codifies in regulation the information hospitals must include in their application to convert to an REH. The rule addresses policies around quality measurement, including the incorporation of a health equity adjustment for the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Program.
In addition, CMS received feedback from stakeholders on the potential future inclusion of two geriatric measures and on the establishment of a publicly reported hospital designation for geriatric care.
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CMS Finalizes SNF, IRF, IPF, and Hospice Payment Rules | |
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CMS released final rules for:
Each rule updates Medicare payment and quality measurement policies for Fiscal Year 2024, which begins October 1.
The final rules indicate a 3.3 percent increase in payments for rural SNFs, a 3.6 percent increase in payments for rural IRFs, a 2 percent increase in payments for rural IPSs, and a 2.8 percent increase in payments for rural hospices.
Read the full press release here!
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Register for the Farms, Food & Health, Culinary Medicine Conference
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Conference to be held
September 22-24, 2023
Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities, Munson Healthcare, and the Great Lakes Culinary Institute at Northwestern Michigan College are hosting the Farms, Food & Health Culinary Medicine conference on September 22–24, 2023, in Traverse City, Michigan.
Sessions will address the essential topics of nutrition health across the lifespan, food access, and local nutrition security!
The Farms, Food & Health Culinary Medicine Conference will offer healthcare providers an opportunity to receive an immersive educational experience in a professional kitchen setting alongside chefs and dietitians. Participants will receive hands-on culinary skills training, as well as nutrition science and food access updates, all of which will be tied to Michigan-grown foods.
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Register Today to Build Your Skills in Motivational Interviewing with Great Lakes ATTC/MHTTC | |
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Priority will be given to Great Lakes Region 5. Limited seats are available.
Build your Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) skills in 2023. Attend all sessions and earn NAADAC Continuing Education hours. (Be sure to make note of prerequisites for each level of training.)
Join colleagues from across the region in learning to apply this evidence-based practice with fidelity.
Motivational Interviewing (MI) is an evidence-based collaborative conversational style used to help strengthen an individual's own motivation and commitment to change. In this interactive, skills-based workshop, participants will have the opportunity to learn about and practice the spirit and relational skills of MI.
Learning Objectives:
After completing Motivational Interviewing: Relational Skills (Level 1), participants will:
- Have an introductory level understanding of the purpose, benefits, and challenges of MI
- Understand and practice the four processes used in MI: planning, evoking, focusing, and engaging
- Recognize differences between helpful client engagement vs. harmful client engagement
- Prepare to apply the spirit of Motivational Interviewing to patient interactions
- Observe and practice the core skills of MI: listening, open-ended questions, affirmations, reflections, and summarization.
Training Dates for Motivational Interviewing Relational Skills:
- September 20, 2023 from 8:30AM-11:30AM CT
- September 27, 2023 from 8:30AM-11:30AM CT
- October 4, 2023 from 8:30AM-11:30AM CT
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MDARD Launches Second Round of
Rural Readiness Projects
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The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) announced the release of a second round of requests for proposals for competitive grants through the Office of Rural Development’s (ORD) Rural Readiness Grant Program (RRPG).
This reimbursement grant program empowers community-specific solutions that build capacity and readiness in Michigan’s rural areas. The second round of RRPG grants will provide funding of up to $50,000 to support collaborative planning and capacity initiatives in Michigan’s rural communities.
Grants will help invest in underserved rural areas and populations by providing reimbursement grant funding for planning, capacity building activities, development readiness initiatives, and building collaboration and partnerships across communities and sectors.
Letters of Intent are Due by August 31st, 2023.
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Register for the Inaugural Pediatric Behavioral Health Summit -
October 3 - 4, 2023
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Upcoming MCRH Educational Events
for September 2023
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SEPTEMBER GRAND ROUNDS AND PROJECT ECHO SESSIONS
GRAND ROUNDS:
September 1, 2023, 12- 1 PM EST
Geriatric Grand Rounds: TBD
(Check back periodically for updates on MCRH social media channels and website)
Speaker: Dr. Mark Ensburg, MD
Registration Coming Soon
CE provided for: Dentists, Dental Hygienists, Dental Therapists, Dental Assistants
September 28, 2023, 12- 1 PM EST
Pediatrics Grand Rounds: Social and Emotional Development in Young Children
Speaker: Barbara Thompson, PhD
Register Here
CE provided for: Nursing, Social Work and CHW
Project ECHO:
September 15, 2023, 12 -1 PM EST
Infectious Disease ECHO: Topic TBA
(Check back periodically for updates on MCRH social media channels and website)
Speaker: Dr. Peter Gulick
Registration Coming Soon
CME Provided
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A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO MCRH'S
2023 ORGANIZATIONAL SPONSORS
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Mental Health Mediation is Now Available
in Michigan*
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A new program is now available to Michigan residents, Michigan Behavioral Health Mediation Services. We provide free mediation services to qualified participants to help resolve matters related to their behavioral or mental health services.
Behavioral health mediation is a structured process of communication where an impartial, trained professional helps to resolve a conflict. Basically, we all come together to talk and work through any issue that has come up while receiving mental health services. Mediation provides a safe space to share your concerns and allow your voice to be heard. Plus, it’s completely confidential.
Who can participate? Michigan residents who receive services from Community Mental Health or a Prepaid Inpatient Health Plan are eligible for our free mediation services.
*Paid organizational sponsor content*
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