Munson Healthcare Otsego Memorial and Charlevoix Hospitals and Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital have entered into management and joint operating agreements for the provision of physical rehabilitation care.
As part of Munson Healthcare’s strategic partnership with Mary Free Bed, a director of Rehabilitation has been named. Chris Hope, OT, current director for the Otsego Memorial Hospital programs will assume an expanded leadership role for the Charlevoix-based clinics.
Otsego Memorial Hospital and Mary Free Bed will function under a joint operating agreement. As such, all leadership and therapy staff at Otsego Memorial Hospital clinics became employees of Mary Free Bed on July 1.
Charlevoix Hospital and Mary Free Bed have entered into a management services agreement. Dale Burkhouse, MS, ACT, LAT, has been named manager of Rehabilitation Services for the Charlevoix area. Burkhouse relocated from Wisconsin and started his new leadership role in late June. He will lead clinical operations at the three Charlevoix-based sites which include the hospital, Boyne City, Jordan Valley Rehab and Beaver Island. His focus will be the development of new programs, community engagement and direct patient care. Therapy staff at the Charlevoix-based sites will remain employees of the hospital.
Mary Free Bed brings access to hundreds of providers and specialty programs for medical and sports rehabilitation. Combined with a team of therapists and support staff, northern Michigan residents will benefit from world-class care close to home. Equally important, patients will maintain the unique relationships established with the therapists they know and trust.
Mary Free Bed is one of the largest and most comprehensive rehabilitation hospitals in the United States, providing more than 110 specialized medical and sports rehabilitation programs. Their exclusive focus on rehabilitation enables their specialty physicians and staff to help patients achieve outstanding clinical results, consistently exceeding the national average and, in some areas, leading the way. Mary Free Bed’s satisfaction scores are in the top one percent in the country.
Mary Free Bed has collaborated with Munson Medical Center for inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation services since 2018. The rehab programs at Munson Healthcare Cadillac and Grayling Hospitals transitioned to Mary Free Bed in January 2021, and programs at Manistee and Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital, in early 2022.
The partnership with Mary Free Bed provides greater alignment for rehab programs at Otsego Memorial and Charlevoix hospitals with the Munson Healthcare system and allows for the expansion of services in the region. The programs will be called Mary Free Bed at Munson Healthcare.