Displaying items tagged: Michigan State Medical Society

Health care providers who have long advocated on behalf of patients and for their profession have become increasingly vocal on another front: gun violence.

The financial pressures that have many U.S. hospitals and health systems operating at a loss also are battering the finances for physician practices nationwide.

The number of health care jobs in Michigan declined in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, worsening an existing staffing shortage that — if not reversed — could eventually affect access to care.

The trade group representing nurse practitioners in Michigan hopes updated state data showing high industry growth through the decade will spur action to expand the profession’s scope of practice.

The trade group representing more than 15,000 Michigan physicians is raising concerns for its members following a state Court of Appeals ruling allowing county prosecutors to pursue criminal charges in most abortion cases under a 1931 law.

A $200,000 grant will back a Michigan State Medical Society initiative that looks to address racial and ethnic disparities in health care across the state.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed legislation that reforms how physicians and hospitals seek prior authorization from health insurers for patient care.

Michigan now ranks as the second-least competitive market in the nation for health coverage, a status that stems from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan’s long-held position as the leading insurer in the state.

Supporters are hopeful that a statewide bill to alter the process of doctors seeking prior authorization from insurers for patient care will become law this fall.

As state lawmakers consider more controls over prior authorizations that health insurers require before covering certain medical care, Priority Health has launched a new system designed to make the process easier for physicians.

Burnout was already significant and growing in the medical profession when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and worsened the problem, pushing health systems and care providers to their limits for more than a year.

GRAND RAPIDS — A $75,000 investment from an East Lansing-based early-stage investment fund helps move Airway Innovations LLC into the marketplace this spring with a new device to prevent patients from pulling out tracheal tubes.

Michigan hospitals took a $1.1 billion financial hit this spring from the COVID-19 pandemic, a cost that continues to grow.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s recent mandate for Michigan health care workers is already in practice at many hospitals and health systems to eliminate cultural biases that can affect care.

As the state mandates face coverings for indoor public places and large outdoor gatherings, a coalition of health care organizations in Michigan urges residents to raise “their vigilance against COVID-19,” maintain distance from one another and to wear a mask.

Bills to curb surprise medical billing in Michigan move forward in Lansing without the backing of physicians, who worry the proposed changes in state law would put them at a disadvantage when negotiating future reimbursement contracts with health insurance carriers.

 Gov. Gretchen Whitmer today further lifted restrictions put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, including a resumption of non-essential medical procedures starting May 29.

In normal times, Trinity Health’s seven hospitals across Michigan generate combined operating income of $9 million to $10 million a month.

Michigan has hit the “preliminary stage of economic re-engagement,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said today after modifying and extending the state’s stay-at-home order through May 15.

Core elements of the federal Affordable Care Act could become state law if legislators in Lansing enact proposals backed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

The stoppage of medical device sterilization at a Grand Rapids facility by the end of the year is adding to local and national concerns about the availability of critical health care equipment.

Believing the pendulum has swung too far and often results in delays for patient care, physicians want state legislators to curtail the ability of health insurers to require prior authorization to cover a medical test, procedure or medication.

GRAND RAPIDS — Before Ron Pease became the CEO of Mister-E-Liquid LLC, a Grand Rapids-based manufacturer of e-liquid used in electronic cigarettes, he smoked a pack a day for 15 years. 

Legislation coming up for consideration in Lansing aims to alleviate so-called “surprise billing” in health care.

As the state begins to implement new laws allowing adult recreational marijuana use, the Michigan State Medical Society wants a voice in the process.

Physicians practicing in three primary care areas no longer have to maintain board certification to earn or renew a medical license in Michigan, or to get paid by health insurers.

The largest organization representing Michigan doctors is opposing legislation that would create a new way for physicians in the state to obtain medical licenses in other states to practice telemedicine.

Physician practices in Michigan drive $59.1 billion in economic output and support more than 305,000 jobs, according to a new study from the American Medical Association.

Employment in Michigan’s health care sector grew steadily during the first half of the decade, reaching nearly 588,000 jobs as of 2015 and generating an economic impact of about $35 billion.

Legislation requiring doctors to use a state-run drug-monitoring system before prescribing a controlled substance represents the “start of a journey” to address the opioid epidemic in Michigan.