Celebrating Our Top Munson Moments of 2023

On behalf of our entire Health Care Team, we hope you have the happiest of holidays this year!

As we look back at all we’ve accomplished this year to go above and beyond for our communities, there is much to celebrate.  Here are our proudest moments of 2023:

Announcing Our Regional Care Transformation Plan. Our Regional Care Transformation Plan is a major milestone in the century-long history of Munson Healthcare. As healthcare changes following a pandemic, we recognize a need to evolve, ensuring more and better access to care in our communities, regionalizing some services, and expanding our front door so we can care for our community for the next hundred years.

Delivering Award-Winning Care to Our Communities. Patient-centered care is the heart of everything we do, and this year we received multiple honors from publications and associations nationwide recognizing our commitment to outstanding care. Munson Healthcare Cadillac Hospital and Munson Medical Center received an overall ‘A’ Grade from The Leapfrog Group, Forbes named Munson Healthcare as one of the state’s best employers, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) awarded 5 Stars to Munson Medical Center and Munson Cadillac Hospital, placing both among the top 8 percent of hospitals in the nation, while Munson Healthcare Charlevoix Hospital's medical team received a 5-Star rating from CMS for high scores in nurse communication, provider communication and patient satisfaction.

In addition, the Michigan Alliance for Innovation in Maternal Health gave top honors to several of our birthing centers, and Munson Cadillac Hospital was named one of the nation’s Top 20 Rural Hospitals and one of the top 10 hospitals in the state by Newsweek.

Last but not least, we're thrilled to announce that Munson Healthcare was recently named one of the Top 15 Health Systems in the entire country by PINC AI™ as reported by Fortune.

Celebrating Munson Medical Center's Comprehensive Stroke Center Designation. Early this month, the Joint Commission officially named Munson Medical Center as a Comprehensive Stroke Center under the leadership of Dr. Gary Rajah, Dr. David Rosenbaum, and Dr. Kersti Bruining. This designation is the most demanding of the Joint Commission’s stroke certification and represents a major step in keeping our patients closer to home while they receive critical care.

Introducing Plans for the Grand Traverse Mental Wellness Center. Our Regional Care Transformation Plan is a major milestone in the century-long history of Munson Healthcare. As healthcare changes following a pandemic, MHC leadership recognized a need to evolve, ensuring more and better access to care in our communities, regionalizing some services and to expand our front door so we can care for our community for the next hundred years.

Expanding Our Free Ask-A-Nurse Service to 24/7 Access. A Munson Healthcare registered nurse is now standing by to provide help and guidance to our communities at any hour of the day, for free.

Offering 3D Mammography at All Munson Healthcare Screening Locations. In past years, patients would have to travel long distances for 3D Mammography screening. As of 2023, Munson Healthcare is now able to offer 3D mammography screening at all Munson Healthcare screening locations across Northern Michigan. Advanced 3D mammography benefits our patients by increasing detection of small breast cancers by up to 30 percent and reducing the need for additional follow-up appointments that are sometimes required by standard mammography by as much as 40 percent.

Expanding Surgical Robotics Across Our Health Care System. This year, several hospitals across our system brought in leading-edge robotics like the Da Vinci robotic surgical system and the MAKO system – two of the latest innovations in minimally-invasive surgery that can help our patients recover faster and more comfortably.

Reopening Our Newly Renovated ED at Munson Healthcare Manistee Hospital. One of the biggest projects we completed this year was an extensive renovation of Manistee Hospital’s emergency department. After months of construction, Manistee Hospital opened their newly expanded ED in April, which includes private rooms and enhanced lighting.

Proposing a New Community Health Hub in Petoskey. As one of the first major steps in our Regional Care Transformation Plan, we announced plans for a brand-new healthcare center in Petoskey. This Community Health Hub will provide primary care, urgent care, and specialty clinics; the design and renovation phase should start early in the new year.

Expanding Access to People Experiencing Homelessness Via Street Medicine Program. Thanks to the efforts of Dr. David Klee and many members of Munson Medical Center’s Healthcare Team, in conjunction with Goodwill Northern Michigan and Traverse Health Clinic, we're now providing healthcare to hundreds of people currently experiencing homelessness in our communities. These services help patients who otherwise wouldn’t receive any assistance in managing chronic diseases, mental health, or substance use care.

Creating Exceptional Experiences for Our Patients: Weddings, Halloween Costumes, and More. This year, we all helped to create exceptional experiences for the people we serve, from facilitating weddings for patients, to creating Halloween costumes for NICU patients, to introducing a new Books from Birth program, and so many more small moments of extra care and compassion.

Thanking Donors and Supporters for Their Incredible Generosity. Thanks to the Munson Healthcare’s Foundations team, we received nearly $17.7 Million dollars in support from public grants and charitable donations this year. Every dollar that Munson receives as a gift goes directly towards supporting high-quality care for our patients.

Celebrating Munson Medical Center as a Leader in Michigan for Gift of Life. Earlier this year, Gift of Life Michigan recognized Munson Medical Center as a leader in organ and tissue donation throughout the state and ranked the hospital as #1 for organ donation in Northern Michigan. Thanks to new technology, organs donated by patients in Traverse City helped to save lives in Houston, Boston, and even internationally in Canada.