Metro Health began its affiliation with the University of Michigan Thursday morning with a celebration at Metro Health’s Professional Building in Wyoming. The affiliation with the University of Michigan now aligns the health care provider with one of the largest hospital brands in the state, and cements Metro Health as a major provider in West Michigan.
Metro Health’s President and CEO Michael Fass says, the affiliation with the University will give residents in the region increased access to cutting-edge health care and university specialists.
“I think what a lot of patients will see right away, is we are going to have more access and more convenience" Fass said. "There will be more open schedules, because we are going to be adding lots of physicians and locations, but more importantly, it is going to be an expansion of what we already do, which that is what improves the access for all of our existing services.”
The affiliation with the University of Michigan will not only absorb Metro Health’s $200 million bond debt, but Fass says it will also help Metro Health begin competing with health care giants in the area like Spectrum Health.
“And that’s where the question really began is how do you put choice in the market when we’re literally one-tenth of the size of many other hospitals," Fass said. "And what we saw is we’ve got to pick the right partner and an extraordinary one, and of course, who else is there in this state but the University of Michigan. What we’ve now become is a regional player.”
Metro Health is now called Metro Health University of Michigan Health. They say they will take a phased approach to signage facilities and marketing materials and will not make all changes on day one.
