HMS July 2026 Collaborative Wide Meeting

Our recent HMS Collaborative Wide meeting took place on July 21st at Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center in East Lansing.

During the main session, two hospitals presented to the Collaborative on initiatives aimed at improving HMS performance across hospital systems. The first presentation, from MyMichigan Health, featured Karrie Neal, MSN, RN; Kristina Cook, MSN, RN, CCRN, SCRN; and Jennifer Jarvis, PharmD, who shared their work to improve antibiotic delivery for patients with septic shock through a novel approach: administering the first dose via IV push.

The second hospital presentation featured Brina Anderson, MHA, Corporate Manager at McLaren Health Care Corporation. Brina shared McLaren’s process for building a systemwide model that unified abstraction resources and established dedicated quality-focused positions. This approach created greater opportunities for improvement across HMS initiatives and other CQIs, while also increasing staff satisfaction.

The Collaborative Wide Meeting continued with updates on our new Critical Care Initiative which was launched officially in June 2026. Huge thank you to the Critical Care Abstractors for going through training and their dedication.

We also welcomed expert guest speaker Dr. Rana Awdish. Dr. Awdish is a critical care physician, pulmonologist, author and medical director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Program of Henry Ford Hospital. She is best known for her critically acclaimed, bestselling book In Shock: My Journey from Death to Recovery and the Redemptive Power of Hope. Her second book “After Shock” was released in June 2026. Dr. Awdish invited us to reimagine sick bodies — not as broken objects to be fixed, but as “sites of meaning, mystery, and quiet wisdom,” and our patients as true partners in their own healing.

We’re grateful for the opportunity to learn from leaders like Dr. Awdish whose experiences challenge and inspire us to care more deeply for both our patients and one another. 💙

The day ended with 4 breakout sessions. Please see the highlights below:

Sepsis Screening and Response – Part 2: Evaluating Your Process

Megan Cahill, DO, MBA of Henry Ford Health shared the work behind their redesigned sepsis screening alerts in the Emergency Department. A thoughtful reimagining of how the EMR can better support clinicians in identifying & acting on sepsis.

Carly Redstone, MSN, RN of Univ. of Michigan Health shared her team’s work evaluating the Sepsis Screening & Response and the power of UM Health sites working together toward an enterprise gold standard.

uUTI & ASB: Finding the Right Flow

Alicia Powell, RN, & Lauren Cianciolo, PharmD, of Memorial Healthcare walked us through their work in antimicrobial stewardship in ASB. A reminder that stewardship is built through partnership across the care team.

James Shen, PharmD, BCIDP, and Michael Barnes, MD, of Trinity Health Oakland shared their antimicrobial stewardship work in ASB by reframing the problem and building better conversations about antibiotic use and documentation. 

Breathing Through the Data: A Mechanical Ventilation Education Session

Dr. Paul Bozyk, one of the physician co-leads for the new HMS Critical Care Initiative, led a breakout session on mechanical ventilation – blending clinical education with practical examples to support understanding in abstraction.

Understanding HMS Programs: P4P Performance Index, VBR Measures, MOC and Adjusted Methodology

HMS Program Manager Elizabeth McLaughlin and HMS Biostatistician David Ratz led a breakout session focused on HMS Pay for Performance (P4P) and Value-Based Reimbursement (VBR) measures. They shared effective strategies for strengthening physician engagement, including opportunities to earn Maintenance of Certification (MOC) credit. The session also included a review of the updated methodology for assessing hospital performance, which is aligned with CMS’s national hospital evaluation approach. The breakout concluded with a Q&A to address participant questions.