Six Michigan Health Systems Announce Formation of Clinically Integrated Network

Six of Michigan’s leading health systems have come together to form a clinically integrated network designed to deliver high-quality, cost-effective healthcare and improve the health of residents across the state.

The founding members of the clinically integrated network include Allegiance Health (Jackson), Bronson Healthcare (Kalamazoo), Covenant HealthCare (Saginaw), Lakeland Health (St. Joseph), MidMichigan Health (Midland) and Sparrow Health System (Lansing).

Each of these health systems will continue to operate independently; however, together, they will offer the size, scale and scope to develop and deploy evidence-based best practices that will accelerate the transformation to better healthcare value for employers and individuals and sophisticated population health management.

A clinically integrated network is a network of providers and health systems collaborating at various points to improve and maintain the health of the residents of their communities. Critical to the success of the network will be the physician-led, data driven approach to sharing best practices across the state that will allow members to reduce variations in care, lower total healthcare costs and improve the health of patients and communities served by the network.

A 12-member Board of Managers was appointed in June to provide strategic direction for the network. Physicians from the member systems comprise 50 percent of the Board and CEOs of the member systems the other 50 percent.

The members of the network’s Board of Managers are:

• Georgia Fojtasek, RN, EdD, President and CEO, Allegiance Health
• Ray King, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Allegiance Health, President & CEO, Jackson Health Network
• Frank Sardone, President & CEO, Bronson Healthcare
• Bill Mayer, MD, MPH, Senior Vice President, Managed Care and Community Health, Bronson Healthcare
• Kevin Albosta, Chief Financial Officer, Covenant HealthCare
• Michael Slavin, MD, Medical Director, Covenant HealthCare PHO
• Loren B. Hamel, MD, President & CEO, Lakeland Health
• Ken O’Neill, MD, Vice President, Clinical Integration, Lakeland Health
• Diane Postler-Slattery, PhD, President & CEO, MidMichigan Health
• Madhura Mansabdar, MD, Chief Clinical Integration Medical Officer, MidMichigan Health
• Dennis Swan, President & CEO, Sparrow Health System
• Harman Nagler, MD, MHSA, Vice President of Clinical Integration, Sparrow Health System

Serving as officers of the network’s Board of Managers are:

• Board Chairperson, Dennis Swan, President & CEO, Sparrow Health System
• Board Vice Chairperson, Loren B. Hamel, MD, President & CEO, Lakeland Health
• Secretary, Diane Postler-Slattery, PhD, President & CEO, MidMichigan Health
• Treasurer, Bill Mayer, MD, Bronson Healthcare

“Healthcare transformation of this kind requires better collaboration across health systems,” stated Dennis Swan, President and CEO, Sparrow Health System and Chairperson of the network’s Board of Managers. “The breadth and depth of the collective resources, intellectual capital and technology infrastructure, will enable the network to efficiently gather, share and utilize clinical data to identify, deploy and adhere to patient-centered, evidence-based best practices."

These like-minded and innovative health systems, hospitals and physicians seek to create a unique care delivery model aimed at keeping people well and providing greater value across the healthcare continuum.

“Successful population health management is accomplished in part by developing best practices aimed at illness prevention and lowering disease risk, as well as, seamless transitions of care between the primary care office, specialty care sites, the acute care setting and post-acute outpatient services,” stated Loren B. Hamel, MD, President & CEO of Lakeland Health, and Vice Chairperson of the network’s Board of Managers. “The end result is increased access to care, higher quality of care delivered, improved health for all, and greater value for the healthcare consumer today and in the future.”