Michelle Ilitch Named 2018 Fellow by the Leapfrog Group

For Immediate Release

Contact:

Bobby Maldonado

248-858-6662

Bobby.Maldonado@stjoeshealth.org

May 17, 2018

CANTON, Mich. (May 17, 2018) – Michelle Ilitch, MPH, Regional Director of Saint Joseph Mercy Health System's clinically integrated network and accountable care organization, was named one of three 2018 Bruce Bradley Fellows by The Leapfrog Group, a non-profit group of large employers and other purchasers devoted to making giant leaps in the delivery of quality and safety within the American health care system.

"I feel strongly that we should all bring an entrepreneurial spirit to our work," said Ilitch. "Through participation in the Bruce Bradley Fellowship, I will be able to engage employers in a transparent and open dialogue, centered on what they believe to be problem areas within the hospital-provided care structure. Through this discussion, we can galvanize support and implement solutions to further improve care within our hospitals."

This year’s distinguished fellows will participate in a year-long education and leadership development program designed to help employers and other purchasers of health care benefits advance safety and quality. Fellows will gain expertise in measurement of and advocacy for hospital quality and safety, as well as effective methods of steerage. After training, fellows will become recognized leaders, facilitating and promoting employers’ selection of higher-quality, safer hospitals and health systems locally, regionally and nationally.

Named in honor of Bruce E. Bradley, a founding member and first chair of The Leapfrog Group Board of Directors, and former Director of Health Care Strategy and Public Policy for General Motors Health Care, the fellowship supports mid-career professionals taking a proactive role in encouraging employees and their families to pursue higher quality health care.

At Saint Joseph Mercy Health System, Ilitch is responsible for a clinically integrated network that represents 1,740 employed and affiliated physicians. In her role, she oversees day-to-day business operations and strategic development of the CIN in partnership with the health system's five hospitals.

About Saint Joseph Mercy Health System

Saint Joseph Mercy Health System (SJMHS) is a health care organization serving seven counties in southeast Michigan including Livingston, Washtenaw, Wayne,

Oakland, Macomb, Jackson, and Lenawee. It includes 537-bed St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor, 443-bed St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in Pontiac, 304-bed St. Mary Mercy Livonia, 136-bed St. Joseph Mercy Livingston in Howell, and 133-bed St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea. Combined, the five hospitals are licensed for 1,553 beds, have five outpatient health centers, six urgent care facilities, more than 25 specialty centers; employ more than 15,300 individuals and have a medical staff of nearly 2,700 physicians. SJMHS has annual operating revenues of about $2 billion and returns about $120 million to its communities annually through charity care and community benefit programs.

SJMHS is a member of Trinity Health, a leading Catholic health care system based in Livonia, Mich. Trinity Health operates in 22 states, employs about 131,000 colleagues, has annual operating revenues of $17.6 billion and assets of about $24.6 billion. Additionally, the organization returns almost $1 billion to its communities annually in the form of charity care and other community benefit programs.

For more information on health services offered at Saint Joseph Mercy Health System, please visit www.stjoeshealth.org.

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