Before merging with Michigan Medicine, Lansing-based Sparrow Health System underwent a rapid transformation project at an unknowingly critical time.
In 1997, Sparrow Hospital's acquisition of a nearby hospital, followed by a subsequent offer from a community hospital, transformed a single facility into three hospitals in a short span of time. This expansion quickly evolved to form a six-hospital health system.
"We became a health system overnight and somewhat by happenstance," Kira Carter-Robertson, COO of University of Michigan Health's Sparrow Campus, told Becker's.
Initially, the newly acquired hospitals operated as separate entities. While the HR, IT and legal departments were immediately standardized, various clinical areas deemed "hands-off." The turning point came when one of the smaller hospitals was at risk of losing funding from a quality standpoint.
"That really shifted our health system's understanding and focus on how we should look and feel and act as a health system," Ms. Carter-Robertson said.
SHS made it the No. 1 priority to standardize and centralize quality, with a particular focus on patient experience, safety, infection prevention and accreditation. As senior vice president of Regional Hospitals at the time, Ms. Carter-Robertson worked on the expansion and standardization of the community hospital platform.
The presidents of the smaller hospitals came together to discuss how varying local players and available services should not act as roadblocks to achieving baselines of quality, care and level of acuity. Shortly after the community hospitals successfully implemented clinical standardization efforts and improved care, the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Sparrow Hospital quickly reached bed capacity, necessitating the transfer of lower-acuity patients to the newly standardized community hospitals. One critical access hospital increased its average daily census from four to 18 patients.
"Our mission was dedicated to limiting the need to travel for healthcare." Ms. Carter-Robertson said. "Yes, come to the big city for the things that can only be done here, but how do we invest more with services, programs and providers so that more care can be done locally where people work and live?"
The health system was able to discharge over 1,000 COVID patients within 10 months, prompting international recognition for its agile response. The success rate raised awareness of the community hospitals, enabling the expansion of services, specialties and technologies.
Ms. Carter-Robertson attributed the ability to care for patient overflow to the confidence built through the standardization efforts, which improved efficiency and ensured more patients could receive high-quality care locally.
By 2021, Sparrow Health System comprised 115 sites of care across nine counties and 8,000 employees. In April 2023, University of Michigan Health acquired SHS, a testament to the effective transformation. Ms. Carter-Robertson said the acquisition opened new doors for expanding programs and service lines, further enhancing the quality and reach of their care across the state.