IHA Welcomes New Chief Executive Officer

News Release
June 28, 2017
For Immediate Release
For more information, contact:
IHA
Amy Middleton
734.327.0877
Amy_Middleton@IHAcares.com

IHA Welcomes New Chief Executive Officer

Mark A. LePage, MD, MBA, to join one of Michigan’s largest multi-specialty medical groups

ANN ARBOR, MI – (June 28, 2017) – With the extensive recruitment process completed, IHA’s Governing Board is pleased to announce that Mark A. LePage, MD, MBA, will succeed the late Bill Fileti, to serve as the organization’s next CEO and the first physician CEO in the medical group’s 23-year history.

CEO Search Committee Chair and IHA OB/GYN, Wesley Beemer, MD, said, “We were delighted by the interest in our position from physician candidates across the country. All of the candidates were physician executives with extensive experience with large multi-specialty group practices, hospital systems and a couple with health plan experience as well.”

Dr. LePage is a physician executive with a wide-array of experience in both provider and payer matters and a unique skill set encompassing clinical experience, financial acumen and strategic mindset with a passion for driving change toward a sustaining health care system that delivers affordable care, delights patients, engages physicians and other clinical professionals, and improves overall community health. After serving in the United States Air Force as a Staff Interventional Radiologist, Dr. LePage joined Marshfield Clinic in Wisconsin.

Early in his tenure at Marshfield, he served as Medical Director of Marshfield Clinic Vascular Center and has continued to serve on the Marshfield Board or other leadership roles since 2010. In January 2013, Mark accepted the Chief Medical Officer position at Security Health Plan. SHP is a subsidiary of Marshfield Clinic Health System. In January 2016, Mark was selected for the role of Chief Medical Officer at Marshfield Clinic.

IHA’s incoming CEO grew up in Marquette, Michigan. He went to the University of Michigan for his undergraduate degree, and then attended the University of Michigan Medical School for his medical degree. Dr. LePage completed his residency in Diagnostic Radiology and Fellowship in Vascular and Interventional Radiology at University of Michigan Health System. Dr. LePage obtained his MBA and his MS in Finance from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.

“Mark brings great interpersonal relationship skills and a successful track record managing complex organizational initiatives to his new position with IHA,” said Rob Casalou, Regional President and CEO for Saint Joseph Mercy Health System and IHA Board member. “His collaborative approach, high integrity and extensive knowledge of health care operations will be a tremendous asset as IHA continues to grow and provide care across multiple specialties.”

Mark and his wife Heather, who is a CPA by training and a University of Michigan graduate, have three children ages 18, 16 and 14. They view IHA’s CEO position as “an opportunity of a lifetime” and are looking forward to returning “home” to Michigan in early fall.

#####

About IHA
IHA is one of the best and largest multi-specialty groups in Michigan. IHA employs nearly 2,200 staff, which includes more than 650 providers consisting of: physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and midwives in approximately 70 practice locations across Southeast Michigan. IHA provides high-quality medical care and excellent service to nearly 470,000 active patients. Recognized as Metro Detroit’s Top Physician Group by Consumer Reports magazine, IHA also ranks in the top quartile for patient satisfaction nationally. Offering extended office hours and urgent care services, along with online patient diagnosis, treatment and appointment access tools. IHA demonstrates that it cares by bringing safe, high quality, comprehensive and affordable care to its patients. For more information about IHA, visit www.ihacares.com.

About Trinity Health
Trinity Health is one of the largest multi-institutional Catholic health care delivery systems in the nation, serving diverse communities that include more than 30 million people across 22 states. Trinity Health includes 93 hospitals, as well as 120 continuing care programs that include PACE, senior living facilities, and home care and hospice services. Its continuing care programs provide nearly 2.5 million visits annually. Based in Livonia, Mich., and with annual operating revenues of $16.3 billion and assets of $23.4 billion, the organization returns almost $1 billion to its communities annually in the form of charity care and other community benefit programs. Trinity Health employs about 131,000 colleagues, including 5,300 employed physicians. For more information about Trinity Health, visit www.trinity-health.org.

I Vaccinate

I Vaccinate is a campaign focused on informing Michigan parents about vaccinations using information and tools based on real medical science and research. Support for the campaign is provided by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Franny Strong Foundation.

At IHA, we believe in the safety and benefits of childhood immunizations. We advocate following the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines for immunizations. We stay informed about newly published immunization studies and have not seen any studies that lead us to support the delay of immunizations or use of alternative immunization schedules. Alternative immunization schedules leave children unprotected at the most vulnerable ages.

To best protect your children, our other patients, as well as our staff and providers from preventable illnesses, we have made the decision to only accept new families into our practices who plan to fully immunize their children according to the Center for Disease Control and American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines. If your child is behind on the recommended immunizations, the office may contact you or we ask that you discuss this with your child’s provider at their next visit.

Click here to learn more about I Vaccinate.

Sunburn Art & Sunscreen

Null

Recently social media has been filled with trending “Sunburn Art” photos – people strategically applying sunscreen in extravagant patterns then getting intensely sunburned to display the masterpiece. Although it may be tempting to show off artistic talents for the Instagram likes and retweets, sunburns can have long term consequences on your skin health, including risk for skin cancer and premature aging. As you enjoy the outdoors this summer here are a few tips for sunscreen use:

What kind of sunscreen should I buy? Do I really need the SPF 100+? The best option is to find one that you are willing to wear regularly! The American Academy of Dermatology recommends that sunscreen should be broad spectrum with protection against both UVA and UVB. This should be at least SPF 30 and water resistant. Many dermatologists recommend a higher SPF, even SPF 100. This is due to recent research showing that many people do not apply sunscreen as thick as how the SPF number was established. Often, people use as little as 25-50%! Using a higher SPF may partially compensate for putting on too little. Using a moisturizer containing sunscreen on exposed skin can be nice for daily use when you know you won’t have extended time outside. Usually the SPF in makeup is an added bonus but is not applied thick enough to rely on.

What is the safest way to apply sunscreen? It is best to apply sunscreen 15-20 minutes before going outdoors. It takes this long to fully absorb. Make sure to apply it to all exposed skin, getting help for hard to reach places like the middle of the back. To get the true SPF value on the bottle, sunscreen amount should be based on the “teaspoon rule” – 1 teaspoon to the face/neck/scalp, 1 teaspoon for each arm, 1 teaspoon to the chest and abdomen, 1 teaspoon to the back, and 2 teaspoons for each leg. Please be sure to re-apply every two hours while outside because the sunscreen will lose effectiveness over time. The re-application rule is also important after swimming or heavy sweating. Many people who wore sunscreen at the beginning of long day outside get burned because of not reapplying. Keep up the good work!

But I hate the feel and smell of sunscreen. What are my alternatives? Physical blockage from the sun by clothing is an alternative to sunscreen. There are many marketplace options for UPF (ultraviolet protection factor) clothing with UVA and UVB protection based on weave and thickness of the fabric. This should be taken with caution because bleaching or stretching the fabric can decrease the effectiveness. A broad brim hat can be helpful but this has been documented to only show SPF protection less than 10 (and a baseball hat has a SPF 1.5 for the nose at best!). These are best used in combination with other forms of sun protection.

Do the sunscreen recommendations change for my kids? Sun protection for kids and teenagers is super important! It is well documented that sun exposure in childhood is a risk factor for developing skin cancer as an adult. Per the American Academy of Pediatrics, it is best to use other sun protective methods first (shade, sun protective clothing, hats) with broad spectrum sunscreen applied on skin that is still exposed. Sunscreens with UV blocking active ingredients titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are recommended for children under two years old.

If you are interested in having a skin cancer screening or would like to have a concerning lesion evaluated, our board-certified and experienced dermatologists at IHA Dermatology are always happy to help in any way that we can. Just call us at 734-667-DERM (3376) to schedule an appointment.

Sleep tips for children and teens

Null

Sleep has a number of key health benefits for children and is important for their growth and overall development. Sleep is important for muscle growth, tissue repair and growth hormone release. Sleep is also critical for learning and memory consolidation, making sleep important for children to perform their best in school. Sleep is necessary for maintaining the overall health of our immune system and our metabolism.

The amount of sleep a child needs really depends on the age of the child. Newborns typically require the most sleep, which can be up to 14-17 hours per day. As children get older, their sleep requirements decrease so that by adolescence their sleep needs are similar to adults.

The National Sleep Foundation recommends that toddlers get 12-15 hours of sleep and preschoolers 10-13 hours of sleep per day, including their daytime nap. The National Sleep Foundation recommends 9-11 hours of sleep per night for school-aged children, 8-10 hours of sleep for teenagers and 7-9 hours of sleep per night for adults between 18 and 64. Adults aged 65+ need 7-8 hours of sleep.

Unfortunately, we know that many children and adults do not get the recommended amount of sleep each night. A 2004 National Sleep Foundation poll found that children of all ages got less than the recommended amount of sleep. Our sleep deprivation gets worse as children get older, with teenagers usually being the most sleep deprived age group.

A 2006 National Sleep Foundation poll found that 45% of adolescents got less than 8 hours of sleep per night, with high school seniors averaging only 6.9 hours of sleep on school nights. Adults do not usually fare much better, with about 40% of adults getting less than 7 hours of sleep each night.

Insufficient sleep is associated with daytime consequences, in which children can be very different than in adults. Most adults will present with symptoms of sleepiness such as falling asleep at work, while reading or watching TV. Children, on the other hand, can present with increased energy (hyperactivity) or problems with focus/concentration. They can sometimes look very similar to children with ADHD. In fact, children are sometimes misdiagnosed with ADHD when in the symptoms are really due to poor sleep.

Children can also present with more behavior problems or poorer school performance. Daytime sleepiness is also seen in children. For example, children may have a harder time getting up in the morning and may even be late for school as a result. They can also be more likely to fall asleep in the car or on the bus ride to school. Or, they can even fall asleep in the classroom, which can affect their ability to learn.

The National Sleep Foundation estimates that about 25% of teens fall asleep in the classroom at least once per week. Some children who are chronically sleep deprived will try to catch up on their sleep at home either through an after school nap or “sleeping in” on the weekends. If your child takes regular naps, especially if they are 45 minutes or longer, or if they “sleep in” more than 2 hours on the weekends, then your child may not be getting enough sleep.

If you have any concerns about your child’s sleep patterns, particularly if your child snores, pauses in their breathing during sleep, gasps for air, has mouth breathing, has frequent night awakenings or restless/sweaty sleep it is important that you talk to your child’s doctor as these could all be signs of obstructive sleep apnea. Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep could also be signs of other sleep problems that you should discuss with your child’s doctor.

Remembering William J. Fileti

NEWS

April 23, 2017
Contact:
Amy Middleton, Director of Marketing
734.327.0877 or Amy_Middleton@IHAcares.com

IHA ANNOUNCES THE PASSING OF CEO WILLIAM J. FILETI

FiletiANN ARBOR, MI – (April 23, 2017) – It is with deep sadness that we share with you the news of the passing of our CEO, William J. Fileti. Bill died Saturday, April 22, from cancer, diagnosed in October of 2016.

Bill was the founding President and CEO of IHA since 1994 when the leaders of Associates in Gynecology and Obstetrics, Associates in Internal Medicine, and Child Health Associates chose to form a group, founded on the principles of high quality, personalized, patient-centered care.

“IHA has lost an enormous piece of its heart and soul with the passing of our beloved CEO, Bill Fileti,” said Daniel McMurtrie, MD, IHA’s first PC President and Chairman of the Board. “Since its inception, our organization has benefited greatly from Bill’s leadership and vision. His untiring pursuit of excellence in everything he did, played an instrumental role in the success of our medical group. He has helped us achieve exponential growth while maintaining a focus on caring for our patients, a dedication to the well-being of the providers, and a commitment to the success of our employees. His name has become synonymous with IHA and he will be greatly missed by the entire IHA family.”

Since the beginning, IHA has focused on a patients’ first philosophy of care. Bill believed in a virtuous cycle of leading with doing what was right for patients, providers, and staff. Quality and performance would follow. As a result of his philosophy, vision, and drive, Bill achieved the following:

  • Built a team making it possible for IHA to achieve outstanding quality scores that have been the best in Southeast Michigan since 2012 and recognized by Consumer Reports magazine as a top performer.
  • Achieved top decile performance in all areas of patient, provider and staff satisfaction and engagement levels.
  • Developed exceptional and favorable relationships in the broader health care community that included affiliated hospitals, payers, and several charitable organizations such as the United Way, serving on their board for several years.
  • Through mergers, acquisitions, and outstanding recruitments, built IHA from a concept into the leading private medical group in southeast Michigan that serves nearly 470,000 primary and specialty care patients with over a million visits per year.
  • Completed IHA’s strategic merger with Trinity Health to serve as The Physician Enterprise for SJMHS. 
  • Recruited a top caliber management team to run operations, and supported provider and non-provider leaders in growing their leadership skills and reaching their professional goals.
  • Negotiated a master affiliation agreement with Michigan Medicine (University of Michigan.)
  • Initiated diversification initiatives designed to reduce IHA’s exposure to the environment through the development of related business lines with real estate, clinical research, and imaging.
  • Supported pioneering projects to re-engineer the delivery of health care with care management, behavioral health, and embedded pharmacists.

Bill achieved this success with a quiet, focused, engaged presence that never wavered. By meeting with each orientation group of new providers and staff, he connected with every person in IHA and spread the vision of personalized care through his example.

Cindy Elliott, IHA’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) since 1999 and its President and COO for the last year characterized Bill “as a mentor, trusted advisor, and dear friend. Bill will be remembered as a sweet soul, who cared about people first and who lived out the IHA CARES Values daily.”

Bill spent his final months in California with his wonderful wife Cecilia, his two sons, Eric and Owen, daughter-in-law, Kristina, granddaughter Lana, and other members of his immediate and extended family.

A Candlelight Vigil celebrating Bill’s life and many accomplishments will take place Thursday, May 4. Please view the invitation and map. All are welcome to attend.

For those wishing to send condolences to the family, please see our remembrance board directly below.

 

 

IHA Recognized by DecisionWise as 2017 Employee Engagement Best Practice Award Winner

News Release
April 5, 2017
For Immediate Release
For more information, contact:
IHA
Amy Middleton
734-327-0877
Amy_Middleton@IHAcares.com

IHA Recognized by DecisionWise as 2017 Employee Engagement Best Practice Award Winner

ANN ARBOR, MI – (April 5, 2017) – IHA is pleased to announce that DecisionWise, a US-based employee engagement consulting firm, recognizes IHA as a top performing organization with the 2017 Employee Engagement Best Practice Award. IHA is one of 115 companies who participated in the DecisionWise international employee survey.

Over seven million survey responses were cast for the 35 companies with more than 1,000 employees, including IHA. Surveys results were analyzed to measure the level of engagement within each organization. Final winners were confirmed by evaluating the overall culture of the organization as well as best practices and company initiatives that contribute to the scores.

“We’re proud and honored by this recognition from DecisionWise,” notes Linda MacEllven, Vice President of Human Resources & Customer Service for IHA. “At IHA we value employee feedback and strive to promote a culture where employees take personal satisfaction in the quality of their work and the difference they can make in every customer experience, whether external or internal.”

“We’re privileged that IHA has made DecisionWise a strategic partner for employee engagement surveys, and we’re proud that they have taken clear, measurable actions to leverage employee feedback and create a positive, engaging and energizing workplace for their employees,” said DecisionWise Chief Executive Office Dr. Tracy Maylett.

#####

About DecisionWise
DecisionWise, Inc. is a management consulting firm specializing in leadership and organization development using assessments, feedback, coaching, and training. DecisionWise services include employee engagement surveys, 360-degree feedback, leadership coaching and organization development. DecisionWise was founded in 1996 and is privately held. With offices in the United States and affiliate offices throughout the world, DecisionWise operates in over 70 countries and conducts surveys in over 30 languages.

About IHA
IHA is one of the best and largest multi-specialty groups in Michigan. IHA employs more than 2,200 staff, which includes nearly 600 providers consisting of: physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and midwives in approximately 60 practice locations across Southeast Michigan. IHA provides high-quality medical care and excellent service to nearly 410,000 active patients. Recognized as Metro Detroit’s Top Physician Group by Consumer Reports magazine, IHA also ranks in the top quartile for patient satisfaction nationally. Offering extended office hours and urgent care services, along with online patient diagnosis, treatment, and appointment access tools. IHA demonstrates that it cares by bringing safe, high-quality, comprehensive and affordable care to its patients. For more information about IHA, visit www.ihacares.com.

Question about Base Tans

Null

Question: I’m getting married this summer and want to be tan in my wedding photos and on my honeymoon. Will visiting the tanning salon a few times decrease my chances of getting a sunburn if I get a base tan? Also, aren’t tanning salons safer than laying out in the sun?

Answer: You’d be surprised how often these questions are asked! The short answer is NO and NO! Any type of tan is a sign of skin damage. A tan is the skin’s response to UV damage to the skin’s DNA. The skin darkens to prevent more damage, but your risk of skin cancer is already increased. There is no such thing as a “safe” or “healthy” tan.

Tanning beds deliver concentrated levels of UVA and UVB radiation, both of which cause cell damage that can lead to skin cancer. UVA radiation also penetrates deeper into the skin and causes irreversible skin aging like loss of elasticity, wrinkles and brown spots.

If you want to look tan in your wedding photos, try a sunless tanning cream or lotion. You can still get the glow you want without any of the skin damage.

As far as your honeymoon, take plenty of sunscreen with you. Look for a sunscreen that is SPF 30 or higher, broad spectrum (blocking both UVA and UVB), and water-resistant. Be sure to apply sunscreen at least 15 minutes before going outdoors, and to reapply sunscreen at least every 2 hours or immediately after getting wet (for example, after getting out of a pool). Forgetting to reapply sunscreen throughout the day is the one step that most people forget during vacation and that leads to sunburns. Sunscreen only maintains its listed SPF for approximately 90 minutes, after which point the SPF starts to decrease and the sunscreen starts to lose its ability to block ultraviolet light. Shade and clothing can also help protect you from UV rays. Wear protective UV-blocking sunglasses, broad-brimmed hats and tightly-woven clothes and seek shade when possible. Getting into the habit of protecting yourself from UV rays is as simple as the steps above and will allow you to enjoy the outdoors without damaging your skin.

This article was originally published on May 18, 2015, and was updated on April 12, 2017.

Update on Meridian’s Voluntary Worldwide Recall of EpiPen® Auto-Injector

If you think you may be impacted by this recall, please follow these steps:

STEP 1: Check the lot number on your carton or device to see if your EpiPen® Auto-Injector is affected by the recall.

STEP 2: If your EpiPen® Auto-Injector has been recalled, contact Stericycle at 877-650-3494 to obtain a voucher code for your free replacement product. Stericycle also will provide you with a pre-paid return package to ship the product back to Stericycle.

STEP 3: Visit your pharmacy with your voucher information to redeem your free replacement.

STEP 4: Send your recalled product to Stericycle. Do not return any devices affected by the recall until you have your replacement in hand.

Stericycle’s hours of operation are Monday-Friday 8:00 am – 10:00 pm, and Saturday and Sunday 8:00 am – 5:00 pm.

Replacement and Return Instructions

Recalled Lots in U.S.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The NDC on the box ends with “2” because it contains two EpiPen Auto-injectors. The NDC on the individual EpiPen within the box has an NDC ending in “1.”

Confirmation of recalled product

You can confirm if you are in possession of a recalled EpiPen product by checking if the lot number matches any of the lot numbers listed in the above table.

On the auto-injector, the lot number is located at the top of the label in black and preceded by the word ‘LOT.’

On the carton, the lot number is located on the left flap, which is black in color. You will find the lot number written in white and preceded by the word ‘LOT.’If your EpiPen® Auto-Injector has been recalled, contact Stericycle at 877-650-3494 to obtain a voucher code for your free replacement product. If not, there is no further action necessary.

Product Replacement Voucher Program

Stericycle will provide you with a voucher code to redeem a free replacement product. If you called before Monday, April 3, Stericycle will follow-up with your voucher code via phone or email beginning Tuesday, April 4.

Each voucher is valid for one EpiPen 2-Pak or EpiPen Jr 2-Pak, or one of Mylan’s authorized generic for EpiPen 2-Pak or EpiPen Jr 2-Pak. Stericycle will issue one voucher for every two-pack that needs to be replaced. Each two-pack carton contains two auto-injectors.

After you have received your voucher, follow these steps:
STEP 1: Call your pharmacy to inform them that you have a voucher for your free replacement of the product.
STEP 2: Confirm with your pharmacy that you have a fillable prescription for EpiPen or Mylan’s authorized generic for EpiPen on file.
STEP 3: Confirm that the pharmacy has the medication in stock.

Patients may receive either EpiPen Auto-Injector or Mylan’s authorized generic for EpiPen Auto-Injector at the pharmacy as a replacement based on availability. The authorized generic has the exact same drug formulation, has the exact same operating instructions and is therapeutically equivalent to EpiPen Auto-Injector, and may be substituted for EpiPen Auto-Injector.

Mylan is committed to replacing recalled devices at no cost and Mylan would like to reassure patients that there will be no additional replacement-related financial burden to them as a result of this recall.

Product Return Process

If you are in possession of a recalled product, call Stericycle at 877-650-3494 to provide you with a pre-paid return package to ship the product back to Stericycle.

IMPORTANT: Do not return any devices affected by the recall until you have redeemed your free replacement from your pharmacy and have your replacement in hand.