May 2024

Direct Trust: Securely Refer and Share Patient Information
Direct Trust is a way to securely refer and exchange patient information from your office’s electronic health record (EHR) to another provider's EHR, independent of which EHR a provider uses. Munson Healthcare uses this critical tool to ensure patients receive needed care throughout our system. Direct Trust helps ensure continuity of care, which supports increased patient satisfaction. All MHC-employed ambulatory specialists and/or their offices can receive referrals via Direct Trust.

To learn more about how Direct Trust can benefit your office, watch this video featuring Justine Siler, Referral Coordinator at Munson Healthcare Rheumatology, and Sara Posey, Systems Architect, Munson Healthcare Information Services.

Have questions on how to refer using Direct Trust or creating a Direct Trust email for your providers? Please reach out to Sara Posey.

A reminder Munson shares a listing of Direct Trust emails on our website, which is updated on the first of every month. To help offices know when a new provider has a Direct Trust email, we'll indicate this by adding after the provider's name in the Provider Moves listing when appropriate — see below. If you roll over the graphic, you'll see the provider's email.

Provider Moves
Munson Healthcare's Provider Moves webpage has been updated for April including new providers, practice changes, retirees, providers no longer on staff (or practicing), and other updates (e.g., name changes, practice moves, new phone and fax numbers).

For a complete directory of Munson-credentialed providers, go to Find A Doctor.

Please join us in welcoming the following new Munson-employed providers:

• Dallas Foley, NP | Munson Stroke Program
• Chris Markules, PA | Munson Stroke Program
• Mary Lee Pakieser, NP | Munson Outpatient Behavioral Health Services
• Krysten Perkins, PA | Munson Healthcare Cadillac Urgent Care
• Jennifer Sampson, NP | Kalkaska Medical Associates – Mancelona

The following Munson-employed providers are new to the following MHC practices:

• Nicole Gill, NP | Munson Partial Hospitalization Program
• Neil Shaw, NP | Traverse Heart and Vascular (no longer practicing at Milliken Medical/MHC Cedarwoods Internal Medicine and Geriatrics)
  
  

Transforming Care: Neurologists Joining Munson Healthcare This Summer
We are excited to announce five new neurologists will be joining Munson Healthcare Neurology this summer as part of our Regional Care Transformation Plan. As this will double the number of neurologists available to 10, this addition is expected to greatly decrease our current wait time for new patients to be seen.

Please Let Us Know the Wait Times for Your Practice
We update office wait times quarterly as part of Munson Healthcare's Community Needs data. The information you provide is important to ensure the most appropriate referrals are provided to patients and referring providers.

Please let us know the wait times for your practice(s) by emailing 1, 2, or 3 to MHC-MSOWData@mhc.net by May 22:

1. Less than 1 week
2. Less than 1 month
3. Greater than 2 months

If there is a practice manager or administrator we should work with for your office instead, please forward this request. 

 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

 CLINICAL PATIENT CARE

Remain Vigilant: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza

• As the influenza season has ended, providers are asked to consider the possibility of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in persons showing flu-like symptoms or conjunctivitis who have relevant exposure history.

• For information on exposure risk and provider guidance, click here.

• For more information on Avian Influenza, and other trending medical topics, please visit Munson’s Library Services website.

The Science of Substance Use Disorder

• Understanding the science behind substance use disorder (SUD) can greatly enhance our relationships with patients who struggle with SUD as it can help us to rethink harmful assumptions and unconscious biases.

• To hear James Whelan, MD, Medical Director, MHC Clinically Integrated Network, explain the science of substance use disorder and how understanding this science is the key to hope, healing, and recovery, please watch this new video with updated information.

• For more provider resources, visit the Controlled Substances & Opioids Toolkit on our website.

 SERVICES

One Team, One Name: All Employed Orthopedic Providers Move under MOI 
Munson Healthcare’s employed orthopedic surgeons across the system are now part of the Munson Orthopedic Institute. This will unite our orthopedic providers under one name and brand as well as expand access to fellowship-trained sub-specialized orthopedic care across Northern Michigan. All MHC orthopedic clinics in Cadillac, Grayling, Gaylord, Harbor Springs, Prudenville, and Manistee have transitioned to become part of the Munson Orthopedic Institute.  

The new system-wide MOI collaboration will provide general orthopedic care and surgical services in all locations, plus access to Dr. Matthew Dubiel for upper extremity care (TC, Grayling, and Cadillac); Drs. Peter T. McAndrews, Jordan Nester, and DJ Scholten for sports medicine (TC, Gaylord, and Cadillac) and Drs. Michael VanWagner and Joseph Ward for joint replacement/revisions (TC, Gaylord, Grayling, and Cadillac). Rounding out care across the regions are Drs. Paul Bizzigotti (CAD); Robert Barry (MST); Jason Bennett (GRY); and Louis Habryl (OMH). 

In addition to clinic-based providers, Drs. Sarah Mills and Michael McDonald have joined MOI and will be facilitating the Traumatology services at Munson Healthcare. Both providers are fellowship-trained in traumatology and will be providing orthopedic trauma call at Munson Healthcare. 

Update: Although Detours Changing, Grandview Parkway Construction Continues 

• After 2 months of work on the Grandview Parkway project, crews have reached their first major milestone and are ready to move on to Phase Two of Segment One. This means detour routes will be changing and traffic patterns will be disrupted once again.

• Patients traveling to a Munson Healthcare location or any other clinic in Traverse City may have their route detoured and travel time extended. Please remind patients of the ongoing construction when appropriate. 

• This phase of construction is expected to last through late June. For more information on the Grandview Construction project, you can access the MDOT and City of TC pages via our Grandview Parkway Construction updates page.

 RECOGNITION

Munson Healthcare was among 5 hospitals from across the nation that were presented the AHA Dick Davidson NOVA Award for hospital-led collaborative efforts to improve community health.

MHC was recognized for the Street Medicine Program, done in collaboration with Traverse Health Clinic and Goodwill of Northern Michigan. The partnership launched in 2020 during the global pandemic and has provided care to over 1,000 people experiencing homelessness in the Traverse City area.

To learn more, read the news release.

In related news, Munson Healthcare recently announced it has made a commitment to donate $300,000 to the Traverse Health Clinic over the next 2 years to support expansion of the Street Medicine Program in Traverse City.

To learn more, read the news release.

 EDUCATION

Upcoming CME Opportunities

To read past issues of Practice Pro, visit our website.