By: Melissa Barrow, Administrator, Imlay City Family Practice

Healthcare Administration can open the door for a wide variety of roles. In most corporate roles, you specialize in one area such as office management, recruiting, or finance. I always thought I would find myself in the corporate world because it looks glamorous. Over the years I have found that there is so much value in private practice. I have had the honor of being the administrator at Imlay City Family Practice for 7 years. Since, I have doubled the patient volume, tripled the revenue, and lead the practice through a 5,000 square foot expansion. In my role, I wear several different hats. I oversee office operations, I manage the finances, the business growth and development, quality programs, strategic partnerships (we just landed Health Quest Physical Therapy for our rental space), human resources, provider recruitment and retention, community relations, marketing, and every other leadership role that makes the practice continue to operate. The owners of the practice allow me to have full control of decision making. Throughout COVID-19, we were able to keep our doors open and continue to care for our community. Every day was a challenge but with increased communication, gaining the trust of our community, and our team not wanting to let one another down, we persevered.

Aside from the broad range of valuable experience I have gained from managing a private practice, I have the honor of representing the practice as the newly elected President of the Imlay City Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. While I am not building my brand within a corporate organization, managing a private practice has given me the opportunity to lead with autonomy and build my brand in a community and serve the patients of our practice and the citizens in our community. If you are given the opportunity to do a rotation in a private practice or lead a private organization, I encourage you to consider it. For more information on what our practice offers, please visit www.imlaycityfamilypractice.com. We are not your standard primary care office. 

By: Brad Terry, MD, MBA, Medical Director, Cotiviti

(These expressed views are representative of personal opinion based on experience and not reflective of any company.)

Genetic testing and related treatments have been one of the most rapidly developing fields in medicine for the last decade. I have the privilege of being a patient, physician provider, and payor experiencing genomics. As such, I would like to discuss this area based on my experience from different perspectives to increase conversation and awareness.

The field of genomics has evolved from the established and well known practices of prenatal screening and BRCA testing for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer to advancing new and innovative therapies such as CAR-T (Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell) therapy and gene therapies treating genetic conditions like SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy) and hemophilia. 

According to InformedDNA, the number of individual genetic tests available today has grown to over 167,000 tests today (1) and the genetic testing market is expected to continue growth in both number and usage by 19.1% to over $37.7 billion by 2026 (2). InformedDNA is the country’s leading applied genomics solutions company, helping people harness the full power of the genomics revolution.

However, the ability to test and identify gene variants has grown exponentially quicker than the known treatments and recommended surveillance and prophylactic measures. Genetic test results are often confusing to patients and can lead to uncharted diagnostic and treatment pathways. Even well established guidelines of BRCA testing leave patients with difficult decisions. When should a woman with a pathogenic BRCA1 variant  consider prophylactic mastectomy (breast removal) or oophorectomy (ovary removal)? For example, what does a patient with a known history of pancreatic cancer do with test results that show numerous variants of unknown significance (VUS) in certain genes?

There is a financial dilemma that the healthcare system is approaching, and arguably has already arrived at as well. The costs associated with the treatment for a relatively small number of affected patients can be very high with multiple gene therapies entering the market, increased utilization of more personalized treatments, like CAR-T, and many cancer treatments reaching a price in the high six to seven figures per treatment. Historically, high costs were spread amongst all members on a group plan, but what happens when one of the small plans, for example, a small accounting firm office, has a person who requires a $1 million treatment? Historically, when a risk pool increases, the premiums for the members also rise. How do insurers factor in these higher costs treatments while ensuring that coverage is sustainable for all members?

I hope this sparks further discussion between patients, providers, and payors on how the latest evidence in genomics can be incorporated into patient care in a sustainable way for the healthcare system. This issue would benefit from proactive conversation instead of reactions that could negatively impact the spectrum of healthcare and access to necessary treatments. Together, we will journey into the next phases of genomics whether we are prepared or not.

By: Mike Henry, MHSA, Emerging Leaders Professional Development & Networking Lead

On Wednesday, December 7, thirty-two emerging leaders gathered in Southfield at the Beaumont Service Center for the final Professional Development and Networking event of the 2022 year. The group had the privilege of receiving a “State of the State Address” from Adam Carlson, Senior VP of Advocacy at the Michigan Health & Hospital Association (MHA). MCACHE has maintained a very positive relationship with the MHA over the years and we were honored to have Adam return (in person this time after a virtual event in 2021!) to provide a timely update on the impact of the latest election results on both federal and state level healthcare policy.

The evening began with appetizers and refreshments from Holiday Market along with the opportunity to network and make new connections. Adam’s update was very engaging, covering topics such as redistricting in Michigan and the biggest opportunities for healthcare in Michigan moving forward – behavioral health, pharmaceutical pricing, and Medicaid expansion just to highlight a few!

Thanks to both Adam and all our wonderful participants who came out for an enjoyable and educational evening with good company – we look forward to seeing you all at our future Professional Development and Networking events in 2023!

Are you interested in building your healthcare leadership network and contributing to the local healthcare market? There are opportunities to get involved. Check out the VOLUNTEER section on the MCACHE website which provides information on committee involvement ranging from Audit & Finance, Bylaws, Communications, Career Development, Emerging Leaders and DEIJ to name a few.

Thank you volunteers for your contribution and support of MCACHE.