University of Michigan Institute Receives National Healthcare Award from Health Industry Leaders

Healthcare Leadership Council Honors the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation with the Redefining American Healthcare Award

ANN ARBOR, MI – The Healthcare Leadership Council (HLC) honored the University of Michigan’s Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation (IHPI) with its Redefining American Healthcare Award at a ceremony in Ann Arbor on Friday, November 3rd.

IHPI is the nation’s largest university-based community of health services researchers, uniting nearly 700 faculty members across many U-M schools, colleges and campuses. IHPI helps these faculty members from diverse disciplines work together to study complex and timely health challenges and the impacts of health policies at the local, state and federal level. IHPI seeks to foster innovative, interdisciplinary research that can inform policies and practices in ways that advance the equity, quality, safety and affordability of healthcare, and improve health for individuals, families, and communities.

“The idea behind IHPI has always been to help faculty connect and work together across disciplines and professions, and to help them engage with policymakers, health system leaders, and community leaders so their work can have the most impact to improve health care and health,” said John Z. Ayanian, M.D., M.P.P., who became IHPI’s founding director 11 years ago this month. “This award recognizes the accomplishments of everyone who has helped our institute grow and thrive.”

“The sheer volume of research being completed at IHPI is impressive enough,” said Debbie Witchey, HLC’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “However, the emphasis on procuring data around aging, Medicare, Medicaid, health equity, behavioral health and so much more, provides an avenue of informing both healthcare delivery providers as well as legislators where improvements can be made. We see the incredible impact of their work and anticipate even more applications of the incoming data as time goes on.”

“There is no group better to receive HLC’s Redefining American Healthcare award. You are tackling the most pressing healthcare challenges facing our country today, and helping develop novel solutions,” praised Representative Debbie Dingell in recorded remarks, while highlighting how instrumental IHPI research has been on aging, maternal health, insurance and access and the importance of telehealth to expanding access to care. “These are just a few examples of the meaningful, impactful work IHPI is doing to help solve problems, guide policy, and make sure that healthcare providers, lawmakers and other stakeholders have a more complete understanding of the health inequities Americans are dealing with today.”

The Healthcare Leadership Council created the Redefining American Healthcare Award to recognize best practices and programs in communities and organizations across the nation that optimize care for vulnerable patients. Award recipients are organizations developing and activating cost-effective, measurable community programs promoting a patient-centered approach to care that considers outside social factors to achieve the best outcomes.

The Healthcare Leadership Council is a coalition of chief executives of the nation’s leading healthcare companies and institutions.  Follow us on Twitter at @HealthInFocus

 

For Immediate Release: November 6, 2023
Contact: Kelly Fernandez, (202) 449-3452