News

  McLaren Flint is pleased to announce January’s Outstanding Employee of the Month, Mary Ellen Rinks, PT, manager of rehab services. Hospital leadership honored Rinks the week of January 16.   “I am very humbled to receive this recognition,” Rinks said. “This award is reflective of the entire therapy department and is really a recognition of all of them. The therapy team is a group of dedicated professionals who want to do what is best for our patients. They are truly a team that excels at com...

January 15, 2023 “A Breath of Fresh Air”   McLaren Physician Partners (MPP) is participating in a Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBSM) Collaborative Quality Initiative (CQI) called INHALE (Inspiring Health Advances in Lung Care). Michigan has high prevalence rates of asthma and COPD. There are significant disparities in the burden of disease across the state. The economic burden of asthma alone in Michigan is approximately $3 billion per year driven by emergency department visits, hospitalizations, readm...

Talk to your doctor and be honest with yourself to make this year your healthiest yet. Every January the New Year brings about people’s collective resolutions, aiming to improve an aspect of their individual life. Far and away the most popular resolution: health. When 2022 flips to 2023, countless people will resolve to better themselves and their overall general health through increased exercise, more conscious food choices and the avoidance of some bad habits. Before setting goals and cementing your c...

More common than most realize, the electrical disruption to the heart muscles carries a 90% fatality rate. On a highly anticipated Monday Night Football matchup, millions tuned in, but the game quickly took a horrifying and unprecedented turn. Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, popping up on his feet after a tackle on Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, collapsed into unconsciousness in the middle of the field. Medical personnel were quick to provide care as teammates and competitors looked on...

January 1, 2023 Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) DEFINITION: Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) are the nonmedical factors that influence health outcomes. They are “the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age that shape health.”   SDoH can be grouped into 5 domains: 1 Economic Stability  Help people earn steady incomes that allow them to meet their health needs. (e.g., employment, income, poverty). Education Access and Quality Increase educational opportunities and...

Though RSV is waning, flu and COVID-19 cases are on the rise. After a relatively slow start, cases of influenza have sharply increased with the season nearing its peak as it typically does in December and throughout the winter. This has coincided with a seasonal rise in COVID-19 cases, increasing hospitalizations across the country to the point that the federal government is again providing free COVID-19 test kits . The population is still recovering from a nationwide surge of RSV, another viral upper r...

The first signs of the disease may be difficult to spot. Another high-profile death at the hands of colon cancer has again brought awareness to the disease and the importance of screening for it. Movie and television star Kirstie Alley passed away soon after a diagnosis and brief battle with the cancer, once again bringing attention to the risk and prevalence of colon cancer. Signs and risk factors While it can be caught at a treatable stage, colon cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer death...

More than 16 million Americans live with COPD, but it can be managed. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is the third leading cause of death by disease in the United States, with more than 16 million people living with a diagnosis — and millions more who have not yet been diagnosed. With COPD, the airways in your lungs are blocked (or “obstructed”), making it difficult to breathe, worsening with exertion. There is no cure for COPD, but it can be managed and treated. Through medications, oxy...

November 15, 2022 Treatment of Vasomotor Symptoms in Menopause SUMMARY: Vasomotor and vaginal symptoms are cardinal symptoms of menopause. The occurrence of vasomotor symptoms increases during the transition to menopause and peaks approximately 1 year after the final menstrual period. Systemic estrogen hormone therapy (HT), with or without progestin, is the most effective therapy for menopause-related vasomotor symptoms. Oral and transdermal (i.e., patches, gels, or sprays) estrogen, alone or in co...

November 11, 2022 MHPN to distribute $3.1 million to ACO providers   McLaren High Performance Network, LLC (MHPN) is pleased to announce the release of the provider distribution of the 2021 ACO shared savings to our ACO member providers. 2021 was our 5 th consecutive year of generating savings, MHPN Savings per Beneficiary increased 38% over 2020.     The payout will consist of utilizing the Board approved methodologies based on performance of participating providers on population health ...