Alpena Medical Center Jumps Into Top Five for Quality and Safety

The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services updated its star ratings last week. Alpena medical center jumped into the top five percent of hospitals in the country for overall quality and safety. The hospital also scored highly in patient surveys and was among a few Michigan hospitals to receive a high rating for saving lives. Michael Erickson, president of MyMichigan Health Center Alpena, said he is proud to be rated so highly and believes the improvements in the health system’s operations have made an impact on patient outcomes.

The 139-bed critical access hospital provides general medical and surgical inpatient and outpatient care and 24-hour emergency services to the Alpena, Michigan area. The facility also provides behavioral health services, cancer care, diagnostic imaging (x-ray, CT scanning, etc.), orthopedics, pain management, rehabilitation services, surgical services, women’s health and wound and hyperbaric medicine.

Its Radiation Oncology Department is a collaboration with the University of Michigan Medical School that offers patients access to expert Michigan Medicine cancer physicians and state-of-the-art radiation treatment closer to home. The center treats patients with a range of malignancies including lymphoma, leukemia, and other cancers.

In 2016, ARMC joined MidMichigan Health, an affiliate of the University of Michigan Health System. To reflect the change, the facility changed its name to MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena.

MidMichigan is a nonprofit health care system that serves a 20-county region. It operates eight medical centers in Midland, Alma, Clare, Gladwin, Iosco, Montmorency and Alpena, plus three nursing homes, two EMS agencies and many physician offices and specialty clinics.

The healthcare organization also provides community benefit programs and has more than 7,200 employees, volunteers and physicians. The organization’s mission is to improve the health and well-being of its communities by providing outstanding quality and value, and by delivering innovative health care solutions. Its vision is to be a leading health care provider with world-class clinical outcomes, compassionate service and a strong sense of community. Its values include excellence, integrity and respect for all, and a strong spirit of innovation and teamwork. Its strategic plan includes advancing its leadership in the region and growing as a national leader. In addition, it is implementing an ambitious capital project to enhance and expand its service capacity. The system is working to address a growing number of challenges, including an aging population and increased demand for services. It is focusing on building and enhancing its network of health care providers in the region and developing strategic partnerships. It also is increasing the availability of advanced diagnostic services and providing training for its staff in new techniques. As a result, it is attracting more patients and generating better financial results. It is positioned to be one of the fastest-growing health care systems in the United States. Its revenues rose to $1.9 billion in 2017. The company is headquartered in Midland, Michigan. It is the sixth largest not-for-profit health care system in the Midwest. Its assets are worth more than $11.5 billion.