June 2013

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

W E L C O M E N E W

S T A F F M E M B E R 2

G D A H C R E C E I V E S

$ 1 M I L L I O N F R O M R W J F

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R A C I A L

D I S P A R I T I E S S E M I N A R

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R W J F N A T I O N A L

M E E T I N G 2

P R I V A T E

E X C H A N G E F O R U M

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G D A H C E D P I L O T

P U B L I S H E D 3

” S E E Y O U I N 7 ”

S H O W S S U C C E S S 3

C O F F E E &

C O N T R O V E R S Y 4

G D A H C / C R A I N ’ S

W E B I N A R S 5

W E L C O M E N E W

M E M B E R S

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We want to hear from

you! Send your ideas,

comments or

questions to:

TellKate@gdahc.org

Greater Detroit Area Health Council, Inc. (GDAHC) ▪ 407 E. Fort Street, Suite 600, Detroit, MI 48226 ▪ 313-963-4990 ▪ www.gdahc.org

For more information about GDAHC, contact Laurie Arora, Director of Member Relations at 313-965-4123 or larora@gdahc.org.

When I joined GDAHC in January 2012, I

learned that GDAHC had two visions—one for

the community and one for the organization.

That made little sense; as a non-profit, the

vision should express the future state for the

community, not the organization. And so, as

we embarked on a process to rethink

GDAHC’s vision, we approached it with the

community in mind.

Fortunately, we did not have to go too far to

find the perfect vision. Kind of like Dorothy in

the Wizard of Oz, we learned that what we

were seeking was right in front of our eyes. We

didn’t need to leave home at all. Rather, we

reconfirmed GDAHC’s existing community

vision - Healthy people. Healthy economy.-

as the right vision for both the community and

the organization.

Personally, I like this vision—it’s strong; it’s

simple; it’s straightforward.

Think about it: healthy people are vital to a

healthy, thriving economy. Healthy people

strive to live life to its fullest: they are

physically and emotionally ready to work; they

function at peak performance; and they are

positive contributors to their employers and

society. Healthy people care about the health

and wellbeing of themselves, their families,

their friends, and others. Healthy people are

engaged medical consumers and

knowledgeable patients—they take care of

themselves, they make wise lifestyle choices—

such as eating right and exercising, and they

make educated, informed decisions about

medical care.

Healthy people are more productive and

successful, both personally and professionally.

They get more out of life and they deliver

positive results to their employers’ bottom

lines. Healthy people are good for society.

Healthy people are essential to a thriving

business climate.

Simply stated, healthy people drive a

healthy, robust economy.

Yet, while our vision is strong and compelling,

it’s also tough and demanding. Make no

mistake, creating an environment founded on

health and wellbeing for all members of the

community is no easy task.

Therefore, our vision

necessitates complete

commitment from our

members, our colleagues,

and our community. It also

requires understanding,

acceptance and hard work.

At GDAHC, we are

committed to taking on the

tough job of improving the

health of the individuals who

live, work and play in southeast Michigan. In

this role, GDAHC is on a path to address the

social determinants of health, while trying to

resolve issues that block equitable access to

affordable care. We seek to minimize the

constraints that limit members of our

community from being as healthy as possible

while pushing for health and wellbeing to be

cornerstones of our education system. We will

also add the imperative of healthy people to

the dialogue on what southeast Michigan

needs to once again be prosperous; a trained

and educated workforce is vital, but a healthy

workforce improves productivity and reduces

operating costs.

Healthy people. Healthy economy. It’s the

future of southeast Michigan—make the

commitment to be on our team.

Kate Kohn-Parrott, President and CEO

Healthy Equation - by Kate Kohn-Parrott

GDAHC News Brief

GDAHC receives funding from RWJF

Page 2

GDAHC welcomes new staff member

Jenifer “Joie” West joined the GDAHC staff in April as

Executive Director of the Southeast Michigan Regional

Area Health Education Center. In this role, Joie will

direct all aspects of the Southeast

Michigan Center.

Joie brings with her a wealth of

experience having held a number of

positions in health care, human

services, community relations, and

government affairs. She holds BS and

MS Degrees from Michigan State

University and is dedicated to her

community, serving on the Clinton

Township Board of Trustees and

numerous community boards.

GDAHC is the host organization for the Southeast

Regional Center, which aims to strengthen the state’s

health care workforce by recruiting, training and

retaining health professionals committed to increasing

access to primary care.

Joie West, Executive Director

Racial & ethnic disparities in

health care

Sustainability was the theme at the May 2013, Robert

Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Aligning Forces for

Quality (AF4Q) National Meeting held in Chicago.

GDAHC staff, members and guests enjoyed the three-

day event where they were able to collaborate with other

16 AF4Q communities

from across the country

and hear ideas for making

organizations financially

sustainable when the last

round of AF4Q funding

ends in 2015.

Accompanying GDAHC

staff members Kate Kohn-

Parrott, Lisa Mason and Laurie Arora were Sharifa

Alcendor, Harolyn Baker, George Kipa, MD; Marjorie

Mitchell, Tim Pendell, and Jay Shah.

AF4Q National Meeting

Attendees

GDAHC staff and members attend

RWJF National Meeting Sponsored by:

In May, GDAHC hosted a seminar in May focused on

racial and ethnic disparities featuring Dr. Somnath

Saha, Associate Professor of Medicine, Public Health

and Preventive Medicine from Oregon Health and

Science University. Citing numerous studies to support

his remarks, Dr. Saha

illuminated the kinds of

disparities that exist in

both diagnosis and

treatment and the ways

history has contributed

to these disparities. Dr.

Saha referred to the

problem of disparities as

an “illness” to emphasize the point that there is a

“cure,” noting the need to raise awareness, collect

patient race and ethnicity data, monitor quality and

diligently address patient satisfaction.

We thank Novartis for making this informative and

thought-provoking event possible.

Somnath Saha, MD

GDAHC recently received $1 million from the Robert

Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) for phase 4.0 of the

Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q) initiative. In the award

notification, RWJF noted that they were impressed with

the level of support in southeast Michigan for GDAHC and

our collaborative efforts, and that they believe GDAHC

plays an important role in leading the transformation of

health care in our region. These comments and the

continued AF4Q funding validate our work and the

commitment of our stakeholders and the Planning Team

that assisted us with the application process.

Thanks to the Planning Team Members:

- Jack Billi, MD, University of Michigan Health System

- Bruce Carl, MD, UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust

- Steve Grant, MD, Doctors of Internal Medicine

- George Kipa, MD, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan

- Kate Kohn-Parrott, GDAHC

- Lisa Mason, GDAHC

- Don Whitford, Priority Health

- Kimberlydawn Wisdom, MD, Henry Ford Health System

- Ed Wolking, Detroit Regional Chamber

- Mike Zubryzcki, Chrysler Group, LLC

Page 3

GDAHC’s Emergency Department Pilot published in journal

Dr. Robert Goodman, Chair of the GDAHC

Emergency Department Utilization Team, wrote an

article about the PCP Access Pilot that was

published in the recent edition of the American

Journal of Managed Care. (See gdahc.org for full

article.)

The publication describes the Pilot that

demonstrated the simple things doctors and

physician organizations (POs) can do to

significantly decrease their patients’ use of the

Emergency Departments for primary care physician

treatable conditions. DMC PHO has committed to

work with GDAHC to implement the Pilot and

GDAHC is seeking other POs to also commit to

implementation.

Thank you to Dr. Goodman for his work on

documenting the Pilot for publication, and to him

and the PCP Access Pilot Team for their work on

this successful Pilot.

“See You in 7” reduces readmissions

Preliminary results from a year-long Hospital

Collaborative entitled “See You in 7” show that

early follow-up after hospital discharge can reduce

hospital readmissions for patients with cardiac risk.

The baseline readmission rate for the period of May

2011 to April 2012 for the “See You in 7”

participating hospitals was 30.4% vs. the statewide

average of 28%. The results after the first six

months of the Collaborative show significant

improvement in readmission rate. From May 2012

to October 2012, the “See You in 7” rate was 27%,

an 11% improvement, versus the statewide rate of

26.7%, a 4.6% improvement.

Examples of interventions that hospitals are

implementing include a follow-up phone call

program to heart failure patients and working with

the hospital’s marketing department to develop a

robust list of transportation resources for patients to

get to their follow-up appointment.

For a list of participating hospitals, see gdahc.org.

Presenting Organizations Details

Thursday, June 20, 2013

7:00 a.m. Breakfast & Networking

8:00 a.m. Program Begins

10:30 a.m. Program Ends/Exhibitor Tables

The Westin Hotel, Southfield

1500 Town Center

Southfield, Michigan 48075

(Parking in Tower 1000. Enter hotel

through the parking deck.)

There is no cost for this event. However, due to space limitation, please pre-register at www.gdahc.org.

Contact Laurie Arora at 313.965.4123 or via email at larora@gdahc.org for more information.

Private Exchanges

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Specialty Pharmaceuticals: Trends, Value and Impact

To register for these events, please visit www.gdahc.org.

Contact Laurie Arora at 313.965.4123 or via email at larora@gdahc.org for more information.

Sponsored by:

Implementing Universal Precautions For Health Literacy: Ensuring Clear Communication & Patient Understanding

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

7:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast & Networking 8:00 a.m. Program Begins 9:30 a.m. Program Ends

Hospice of Michigan 400 Mack Ave. (Free Parking) Detroit, Michigan 48201

Marcy Donato, Pharm.D., RPh, Coordinator, Oncology Services, Henry Ford Health System

Joan Ebner, Senior Manager, Pharmacy & Medicare Services, UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust

Atheer Kaddis, Pharm.D., Vice President of Managed Markets, Diplomat Pharmacy

Steve Marciniak, Vice President of Managed Markets, Diplomat Pharmacy

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

7:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast & Networking 8:00 a.m. Program Begins 9:30 a.m. Program Ends

Hospice of Michigan 400 Mack Ave. (Free Parking) Detroit, Michigan 48201

GDAHC Member—$25 Non-Member—$35

GDAHC Member—$25 Non-Member—$35

Save the date!

Sponsored by:

Featuring:

M. Robin DiMatteo, Ph.D, Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside

Featuring:

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Chairman of the Board Brian Connolly, Oakwood Health System

Chairperson of the Board - Elect Francine Parker, UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust

Treasurer Isadore King, Synergy Partners, LLC

Secretary Kate Kohn-Parrott, GDAHC

Executive Committee Thomas J. Adams, TJ Adams & Associates

Wayne Bradley, Detroit Community Health Connection Steven Grant, MD, Detroit Medical Center

Richard Haller, Walbridge David Lalain, Automotive Industry Action Group

Gene Michalski, Beaumont Health System Robert Milewski, Blue Cross Blue Shield of MI

Joseph Mullany, Detroit Medical Center Kathleen Neal, Chrysler Group, LLC

Robert Riney, Henry Ford Health System

Karen Schrock, Adult Well Being Services Renee Turner-Bailey, UAW

Marianne Udow-Phillips, Center for Healthcare Research and Transformation Donald Whitford, Priority Health

Edward Wolking, Detroit Regional Chamber

Executive Committee

Join our esteemed Membership and get great benefits that include:

One free “member pass” for a future Coffee & Controversy

Group purchasing options for dental, vision and pharmacy coverage

Participation on a working committee or pro-ject such as Cost Quality initiatives, commu-nity health activities, or educational pro-grams

Developing solutions and influencing change with others who care about improving health in southeast Michigan

Discounted subscription to Crain’s Detroit Business

Access to regional, innovative health care information

Visibility as a health care leader in southeast Michigan

Networking opportunities

Contact Laurie Arora at 313-965-4123 or at

larora@gdahc.org

We’re growing! Welcome to our newest Members:

Starfish Family Services - Founded in 1963, Starfish Family Services is a private, nonprofit agency serving

vulnerable children and families in metropolitan Detroit. Starfish is a leading provider of early childhood development

and parenting programs, children’s mental health services, after school programs, and an emergency shelter for teens

and youth in crisis. Starfish has more than a dozen programs at service sites throughout metropolitan Detroit, over 300

employees, and a $20-million dollar budget that serves more than 10,000 at-risk children and families each year.

Washtenaw Community College – Washtenaw Community College (WCC) has made education accessible and

affordable for the local community for 48 years. Located in Ann Arbor, MI, the College offers over 120 degrees and

certificates, an open door admission policy and affordable tuition rates. WCC is accredited by The Higher Learning

Commission, the regional accrediting organization recognized by the United States Department of Education and the

Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

Nominate a visionary health care leader for the Sy Gottlieb Award or an

outstanding organization for the Eagle Award.

Nomination forms available at

www.gdahc.org (under GDAHC Events tab)

Awards will be presented at

Salute! to Health Care September 26, 2013 5:30 p.m.—8:00 p.m.

International Banquet Center at the Atheneum Hotel

Use Goodsearch.org and raise

money for GDAHC just by searching

the internet. Choose

“Greater Detroit Area Health Council”

as your charity of choice.