The COVID-19 pandemic caused a significant strain on healthcare systems across the globe. The 22 million Americans who comprise the healthcare industry can anticipate even larger strains in the years to come. Burnout and exhaustion present serious issues that need to be addressed and an inherently inelastic revenue model puts healthcare systems at significant financial risk going forward.
Even, before the pandemic, healthcare was already undergoing a substantial upheaval. The pace of change has not slowed. After dealing with the largest public health catastrophe in generations, innovative organizations like University of Michigan Health-West have demonstrated their ability to adapt and to be innovative to meet the rapidly changing requirements of both patients and providers. The organization is led by noted healthcare executive Dr. Peter Hahn, who has been leveraging his extensive clinical and leadership experience to contribute to its unrivaled growth.
Filling His Father’s Shoes
Peter’s father, a pulmonologist, devoted his life to treating and caring for patients. Following in his footsteps to become a pulmonary and critical care physician, Peter eventually trained at and worked at the Mayo Clinic. During that time, his wife served as his inspiration for his transition into the leadership and administrative side of medicine. She assured Peter that his skills might benefit many more people as the leader of a healthcare system given his extensive experience and perspective as a clinician and formal training in management.
In 1942 a group of doctors who envisioned patient-centered treatment, started the hospital currently known as University of Michigan Health-West. The physicians pooled their life savings, took out second mortgages, and opened the hospital in a renovated home. The hospital expanded, went through names and site changes, but its dedication to putting patients first never wavered. The organization is now a part of Michigan Medicine, one of the foremost academic medical centers in the world. The achievement of its mission and purpose, “We are relentlessly advancing health to serve West Michigan.” has benefited greatly from this partnership. Additionally, being part of one of the world’s leading healthcare systems helps make possible the organization’s vision, which is “Our innovations change care. Our care changes lives.”
Prioritizing Patients
A variety of factors help to distinguish University of Michigan Health-West as a relentless healthcare leader. From the beginning, physicians have led and continue to lead this institution. This is crucial for delivering all-encompassing care; strong accessible primary care, specialty service lines that are unmatched in the region, and centers of excellence that cater to the healthcare needs of the community.
Another distinction setting this organization apart is its’ connection to the best healthcare system in the state. This, together with its size and long history of innovation, keeps University of Michigan Health-West on the cutting edge of medical advancements. The organization makes changes with a quadruple aim in mind: high quality, low cost, the best patient experience, and the best provider experience in the healthcare market.
Fruitful Approach
One of Peter’s primary responsibilities is to establish the organization’s strategic planning and direction by following the mission, vision, and core values set forth by the board, and also enabling the leadership team to carry out those strategies.
Peter is most proud of the accolades the UM Health-West team has received collectively, such as the Leapfrog Group’s consistent “A” ratings for safety, high-performer status from U.S. News & World Report in several specialties, national recognitions for DEI and health equity, and recurrent inclusion in lists of the country’s “Best & Brightest Places to Work.”
Producing A Stress-free Culture and Environment
Peter contends that the values of University of Michigan Health-West—Caring, Innovation, Inclusion, Integrity, and Teamwork—best capture the distinctive culture of the institution. The hospital’s motto is “living our values,” which encompasses both how the team handles patients and interacts as a whole. The staff at University of Michigan Health-West is held responsible for fostering a feeling of community and recognizing the diversity of the team that strengthen it.
Being a strong believer in the ability of the arts to improve one’s general well-being, Peter enjoys listening to music; he is highly involved in the West Michigan community and serves on several boards including Opera Grand Rapids, the Grand Rapids Symphony and the Economic Club of Grand Rapids. Peter also enjoys reading, especially history books, and playing soccer to stay active.
Keeping up with the Future
University of Michigan Health-West continues to be aware of the desires and needs of the community by prioritizing the patient, empowering doctors and nurses as leaders, and focusing on the patients and their families. The extension of “convenience hours’ has provided patients with additional opportunities to connect with their provider outside of regular office hours. University of Michigan Health-West is renowned for being an early user of cutting-edge technologies. The organization uses these technologies to provide the best patient experience possible and also to improve the patient-provider relationship. One such example of such technologies is the use of artificial intelligence and voice recognition technologies to restore the intimacy of the physician-patient relationship. Such technologies not only improve satisfaction for patients but helps prevent physician and provider burnout.
University of Michigan Health-West is also leading the nation in many areas using artificial intelligence to accurately aid with lung cancer screening and mammograms.
Future of the Industry
Most healthcare systems are currently experiencing severe challenges, in many ways even more so than during the height of the pandemic. By remaining true to its identity as a patient-centered, physician-led, innovative, and inclusive institution, the University of Michigan Health-West is not just surviving but thriving. The organization’s leaders are improving care by providing everyone access to the best healthcare possible, helping the community, and encouraging one another.
Peter offers some guidance for aspirant leaders. He asserts, “I would say you would be hard-pressed to find a career that demands more from you. To succeed you will need to give it everything you have. Be aware of that. At the same time, you also will not find a more energizing, rewarding, and fascinating field. If this is your calling, make a plan and pursue it relentlessly.”
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Also read: The 10 Robust Healthcare Leaders of 2023
