MMH and Schoolcraft bring the number to seven Upper Peninsula healthcare organizations to join the SHP healthcare delivery alliance, explained Gary Muller, who is also president and CEO of SHP, and of Marquette General Hospital. SHP is a healthcare delivery system formed in 2010 by Marquette General Hospital (MGH) to enable more people to receive accessible, quality healthcare in the Upper Peninsula.

“We are proud to have Munising Memorial and Schoolcraft Memorial as a member of our SHP alliance,” Muller said. “It takes visionary leadership at both the administrative and governing board level among U.P. healthcare providers to expand the benefits of such a unifying alliance.”

MMH President and CEO Kevin Calhoun said, “Marquette General Health Systems and its CEO Gary Muller have taken a leadership role in creating Superior Health Partners and setting its mission to both increase the quality and effectiveness of local health care as well as making local health care more affordable. Munising Memorial is pleased to join SHP and help support the fulfillment of its mission.”

Schoolcraft Memorial CEO George Montgomery said, “Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital is excited to be part of this growing alliance of hospitals committed to providing quality health services in the communities we serve. This partnership will also help to ensure that patients can remain here in the UP for tertiary services.”

It was announced in August that four more healthcare organizations had joined the alliance, including Portage Health of Hancock; Baraga County Memorial Hospital of L’Anse; and Dickinson County Healthcare System of Iron Mountain; and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.

Muller said, “We are not just proactively preparing for national health care reform, but also ensuring the U .P. communities we all serve will retain and broaden access to quality care. By combining resources and managing the talented combined pool of healthcare providers, SHP will focus on enhancing quality healthcare services and medical treatments that are being delivered in the Upper Peninsula.”

Muller pointed out that the SHP alliance in no way diminishes U.P. community hospital independence, while the affiliation with SHP will strengthen each hospital’s ability to compete with out-of-state healthcare providers, which in recent years have systematically tried to steer specific healthcare services out of the U.P. Patient “outmigration” accounts for at least $80 million healthcare funding to leave the Upper Peninsula, primarily to Wisconsin.

SHP Board Chairman Tim Larson said, “The SHP alliance is committed to strengthening the quality healthcare umbrella in the region. The Wisconsin provider model is one of encroachment, and if left unchallenged will diminish local healthcare access in many U.P. communities. SHP provider hospitals, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, are committed to preserving and strengthening access to quality care close to home for U.P. residents.

Marquette General broke ground this morning on its new primary and specialty healthcare clinic facility in Escanaba.

The new two-level, 46,000 square-foot facility will replace the current Doctors Park building near Seventh Avenue in Escanaba. It is located on Marquette General property adjacent to the present Doctors Park building, but with direct access from US-41/M-35.
The new facility will greatly expand the availability of primary and specialty healthcare services offered by Marquette General in Delta County, along with enhancing lab, x-ray and physical/occupational therapy availability. Services are being developed by Marquette General to complement, not compete, with services offered by OSF St. Francis Hospital.

“This is a major commitment by Marquette General,” said A. Gary Muller, FACHE, Marquette General President and CEO, “It will build on our 20 years of service in Delta County, and strengthen our ties to St. Francis and the entire Delta community.”

Muller said that Marquette General is a strong partner in U.P. jobs creation and the majority of construction work at the new facility site will be done with U.P. labor.

“We wouldn’t even consider not using U.P. building trades labor wherever possible on this project,” Muller said.

The new facility will house a laboratory, home infusion, a blood donor clinic, primary care services, oncology, specialty care, imaging and x-ray, and physical therapy and occupational medicine, as well as administrative offices.

“The Escanaba community will benefit not only from the use of local labor to construct the facility, but also from the increased capacity of specialty services,” said Escanaba Oncologist Dr. Santosh Gowda, who is on the medical staff of Marquette General. “We look forward to opening the doors of this new facility and providing excellent care to the patients and families we serve in the community.”

The new facility will be LEED Certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), a green building certification system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council which promotes sustainable building and development practices through implementation of practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions to achieve better environmental and health performance in buildings.

Being developed by Duke Realty, the facility will cost approximately $11 million. The construction contractor is the U.P. firm of Gundlach Champion Inc. The clinic is expected to open its doors in the fall of 2012.

SHP is a healthcare delivery system formed in 2010 by Marquette General Hospital (MGH) to enable more people to receive accessible, quality healthcare in the Upper Peninsula. The alliance agreement announcement was made today at the BCBSM office in Marquette by Blue Cross, SHP and Upper Peninsula healthcare leadership representing each hospital facility.

“By combining resources, managing the talent of healthcare providers and proactively preparing for national healthcare reform, SHP will focus on enhancing quality healthcare services and medical treatments that are being delivered in the Upper Peninsula, said SHP Board Chairman Tim Larson. The agreement will create more access, improved clinical quality outcomes, patient satisfaction and create more healthcare-related employment opportunities.”

According to MGH President and SHP CEO A. Gary Muller, FACHE, “The SHP focus is to allow patients access to quality healthcare in the Upper Peninsula. We are strengthening our commitment to the region’s patients, residents, doctors, nurses and medical technicians.  By providing access to affordable healthcare, creating jobs and offering options to keep patients from leaving the region for quality patient care, we are assuring our individual communities that we are committed to them.”

Portage Health President and CEO Jim Bogan said joining SHP fits Portage Health’s mission, which is to improve the health of its community by providing the highest-quality healthcare service.  Healthcare access and service within the Upper Peninsula is a goal that all the participants espouse, as well as providing the jobs that support our communities.

“This partnership will enable more people to receive their healthcare close to home,” Bogan said.  “As a team we are working together to provide higher quality, greater service and to manage healthcare costs.”

“High quality healthcare and its local accessibility have been the two central components of Dickinson County Healthcare System’s mission since it was founded in 1951,” commented John Schon, Administrator / CEO.  “We have had a long history of strong community support, which has allowed us to grow our services and technology, double the size of our medical staff, and double the number of staff we employ.  Our success has always come from the unique partnership we have with our community; the more utilization of local services, the more services we can continue to provide.  Additionally, federal and state quality indicators consistently rank us as a top performer when compared to other hospitals our size.”

“National healthcare reform has added new challenges, and it is now more important than ever that we not only continue that strong partnership with our community, but find ways to collaborate with other hospitals to pool our resources for a more regional strengthening of healthcare services,” Schon continued.  “As together we navigate the challenges that face us, we will all have a better chance to remain viable, and our patients will continue to receive the high quality, locally based healthcare they deserve.”

“This signifies another step in reducing fragmentation of local healthcare services, enabling the delivery of even higher quality healthcare,” stated Tim Zwickey, Baraga County Memorial Hospital CEO.  “Baraga County Memorial Hospital already possesses the picture archiving and communication system (PACS) for immediate reading of all x-rays, CT scans, MRI’s, mammograms, etc., by any specialist within the SHP Alliance.  This is available through the established network, along with the sharing of laboratory tests results and medical records for care delivered locally at Baraga County Memorial Hospital.”

Zwickey continued, “Arrangements have already been made to provide a pediatrician locally at the Baraga County Memorial Hospital Physician Group as a replacement for a physician who is leaving, which is an example of what the partnership, through the alliance, can deliver.  This latest effort is in addition to the provision of after hours and weekend access to a hospital pharmacist for consultation with our physicians and nursing staff, and assistance with physician recruitment.”

U.P. residents will see their community healthcare organization remain independent, while the affiliation with SHP will strengthen each hospital’s ability to compete with out-of-state healthcare providers, which in recent years have systematically tried to steer specific healthcare services out of the U.P.  In 2010, an estimated $70 million was spent outside of Michigan from those living in the western U.P. alone.

“This migration is a staggering trend,” said Patrick Prichard, Director of Upper Peninsula Regional Sales & Operations and West Michigan Regional Initiatives for BCBSM.  “With the talent and expertise right here at home, from highly skilled primary and specialty-care physicians to state-of-the-art medical facilities, there should be no reason why patients would choose to cross the borders.”  The BCBSM affiliation with SHP is a direct response to patient “outmigration” to other states, most notably Wisconsin where healthcare costs for many services are significantly higher than Michigan.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is a nonprofit corporation and an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

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As a nephrologist, Dr. Malhotra specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of problems relating to kidney function abnormalities, including chronic renal failure, acute renal failure, hypertension and various metabolic disturbances. He will also oversee the care of patients receiving dialysis.

Board certified in nephrology, Dr. Malhotra completed a nephrology fellowship at the University is Wisconsin, Madison. He completed an internal medicine residency the Columbia University in New York City, and earned an MBA degree in healthcare management from Richard University, located in the United Kingdom. He earned a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Nebraska, Ohama, and earned his MBBS degree from the University College of Medical Sciences and Guru Tegh Bahabur Hospital, located in India.

Please ask your doctor about a referral to Dr. Malhotra. For more information, call Marquette General Medical Specialists at (906) 225-3910.

Dr. Weise will also serve as medical director of the Marquette General Cancer Center. She comes to Marquette from the Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, Mich.

Board certified in medical oncology, Dr. Weise manages medical cancer treatments for her patients. She works closely with surgeons, pathologists, radiation oncologists and other specialists in planning and administering the most appropriate therapy for each patient during chemotherapy.

Dr. Weise completed her fellowship at the Karmanos Cancer Institute. She completed her residency at the Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Va., and completed her internship at the United State Navy Portsmouth Naval Medicine Center in Portsmouth, Va. She earned her medical degree at the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine in East Lansing, Mich.

Please ask your doctor about a referral to Dr. Weise. For more information, call Marquette General Hemotology/Oncology Associates at (906) 225-3922 or (800) 628-3333, ext. 3922.

With more than 18 years of experience treating patients, Dr. Todd has been treating patients in Marquette as a locum tenens since February 2011. He comes to Marquette from Jackson Urology Associates in Jackson, Mich.

As an urologist, Dr. Todd provides diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the urinary tract in men and women, and diseases of the male reproductive system, including tumors, congenital diseases, trauma, inflammatory problems and treatment for fertility/ infertility and impotence. He also provides treatment of female incontinence. Urologists at Marquette General also perform lithotripsy, a nonsurgical treatment for kidney stones.

Board certified in urology, Dr. Todd completed a residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals. He earned his medical degree and undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
For information and referral, please call Marquette General Urology at (906) 225-7780 or (800) 628-3333, ext. 7780. Marquette General Urology is located in suite 249 at the Peninsula Medical Center in Marquette.