Our own Kelly Tomaszewski is the CEO of Munson Healthcare Manistee and Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital. She provided an update on Northern Michigan's Healthcare Future.
Munson is Northern Michigan's largest non-profit healthcare system. With 7,500 employees it is the largest employer north of US-10. Successful as it has been, Munson faces the same challenges affecting healthcare providers across the country:
- Expense inflation outpacing insurance reimbursement
- Continuing staffing challenges
- More volume in outpatient settings
- New competitors entering the market
- COVID-19 has accelerated the adoption of new care delivery models, including home-based and virtual care.
Munson recognizes that if it doesn't change to meet the foregoing challenges, it won't be around to care for Northern Michigan for the next 100 years. When Munson's plan is complete, patients will experience--
- new "front doors"
- efficiency and convenience
- a more consistent, seamless experience
- high-level specialty care
The plan is to elevate Munson's service, not to take services away. Thus Munson will keep its community hospitals open at a time when many rural community hospitals across the country are closing.
Kelly reviewed the progress Munson has made locally with such things as its High-Level Specialty Care Center, One Patient Record, Ask-A-Nurse and Virtual Urgent Care. That we are fortunate to have Paul Oliver in our midst is evident from the awards it has received, as well as the comments of members in the Q&A portion of Kelly's presentation. To watch the recording of Kelly's presentation, click on the following link, https://youtu.be/5ujhyS5JOz8