Our roundup of the latest news from metro Detroit and Michigan businesses as well as announcements from government agencies, including updates about the COVID-19 pandemic. To share a business or nonprofit story, please send us a message.
Report: Most Hospitals Not Complying with Price Transparency Rule
A report released by patientrightsadvocate.org (PRA) shows that one year after a law requiring hospitals to post their real prices online went into effect, a large majority of hospitals continue to hide the cost of care from consumers, including several from Michigan.
Key findings in the report:
- 3 percent were complying with the transparency rule.
- 9 percent of the hospitals posted a sufficient amount of negotiated rates, but more than half were not compliant in other criteria of the rule, such as listing rates by each insurer and named plan.
- 5 percent of hospitals owned by the three of the largest hospital systems in the country — HCA Healthcare, Ascension, and CommonSpirit Health — are complying.
Hospitals in metro Detroit that are complying with the new rules include Beaumont Hospital – Royal Oak, Beaumont Hospital – Troy, and the University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers.
Area facilities found not to be in compliance include Henry Ford Hospital, Ascension hospitals, Borgess Medical hospitals, and St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor.
This report follows patientrightsadvocate.org’s initial Semi-Annual Hospital Price Transparency Compliance Report released last July, which found that of 500 hospitals sampled, 94.4 percent were noncompliant.
“Unfortunately, the vast majority of hospitals remain noncompliant after more than a year has passed since the Hospital Price Transparency rule took effect,” says Cynthia Fisher, founder and CEO of PRA. “Hospitals’ omission of price information in advance of care blocks consumers from benefiting from knowing the competition, seeking fair and equitable prices, and having the choice to lower their costs.”
To review the full report, visit here. (Refresh the page if it isn’t visible right away.)
Troy’s Intecells Named a Top 10 New Battery Company of 2022
Intecells, a Troy, Michigan-based startup and cold-plasma powder coating innovator, was named a NATTBatt International 2022 Top 10 New Battery Company at the organization’s 13th annual meeting and conference in Arizona.
The award was based on a juried competition.
Founded in 2018, Intecells is the brainchild of co-founder and Shawn Gayden, a Chinese-American inventor and business executive who led battery manufacturing research for more than a decade, and co-founder Christian Buske, a German entrepreneur whose company first commercialized cold plasma technology decades ago.
Intecells uses cold plasma powder coating (CPC) processes to create batteries with 3-D topologies and performance suitable for any application — bringing accessible, flexible, and sustainable batteries to the transportation, consumer electronics, and storage industries.
“Our cold-plasma-based 3-D printing technique fundamentally changes the way battery cells are manufactured, enabling limitless possibilities for their shape and configuration,” says Gayden. “This entails revolutionary improvements in safety and cycle life, and energy density, while reducing productions costs, carbon footprints, and overall energy usage.”
Partnering with leading battery makers and academic institutions, Intecells says it is preparing to bring its innovations from the lab to pilot production in 2023.
Priority Health Announces Cyber Security Incident
Priority Health in Grand Rapids discovered a cyber security incident on Dec. 16, 2021, involving its Member Rewards Program in which an unauthorized individual accessed several Priority Health Member Portal (PHMP) accounts.
After conducting a thorough investigation, the company has determined that the unauthorized individual was able to view information within PHMP accounts that may have included names, dates of birth, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, insurance information, claims information, and limited medical information. There is no evidence that Social Security numbers were accessed, and the investigation has not revealed any misuse.
Out of an abundance of caution, however, Priority Health has alerted all members and employers who were potentially impacted by this incident and is providing a variety of services and measures to help safeguard those individuals.
Upon learning of the incident, Priority Health immediately disabled access to the PHMP and all member accounts were put on hold from Dec. 16-21, 2021, to ensure affected accounts were secure. Additional steps were then taken to strengthen account security, including requiring members to reset their passwords with high complexity.
Priority Health says it has been working closely with external cyber security professionals experienced in handling these types of incidents. The company also implemented multifactor authentication (MFA) for all PHMP accounts on Jan. 18, providing a secondary level of security for members.
While no evidence of misuse has been found, Priority Health is offering impacted members a complimentary 24-month membership of Experian’s IdentityWorks as an additional layer of protection. The product will provide members with superior identity detection and resolution of identity theft.
Any member who is concerned their information may be at risk, or has any further questions regarding this incident, can contact privacy@priorityhealth.com or call the dedicated and confidential toll-free response line at 1-800-942-0954. This response line is available Monday through Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 8:30 a.m. to noon.
Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Presents 18th Annual Economic Forum
Pedro Espinoza will be the keynote speaker at the Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s 18th Annual Economic Forum 7:30-10 a.m. on March 24 at the Detroit Athletic Club (241 Madison St. in Detroit).
Espinoza is an internet entrepreneur, angel investor, board member, TED speaker, and author who at the age of 19 founded SmileyGo, a platform that helps companies donate smarter.
He’s been recognized as a Latinx Business Leadership Honoree by The Silicon Valley Business Journal and as one of the 100 most influential Hispanic leaders in technology by HITEC.
To register and find out about sponsorship opportunities, visit here.
High School Hospitality Students to Compete at Michigan ProStart
A total of 31 teams representing 12 career and technical centers from across Michigan will face off at the Michigan ProStart Competition, an annual culinary and management competition hosted by the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association Educational Foundation.
The competition will take place Feb. 28 and March 1 at the Crowne Plaza Lansing West at 925 S. Creyts Rd. in Lansing.
From noon to 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 28, students from across the state will compete in Nutrition Discipline, Knife Skills, ServeSafe Knowledge Bowl, and Tabletop Design. On March 1 beginning at 8 a.m., the students will compete in Culinary and Management with the competition drawing to a close at 2:30 p.m. The event is free to attend and open to the public.
“The Michigan ProStart Competition is a wonderful opportunity for the hundreds of ProStart students from across the state to demonstrate the invaluable skills and training they have learned,” says Justin Winslow, president and CEO of the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association. “Each year, we are inspired by the talent and commitment of these students — and we eagerly anticipate following their future achievements and contributions to the hospitality industry.”
For more information and to register, visit here.
JVS + Kadima Partners to Offer Free Virtual Mental Health Program
JVS + Kadima in Southfield and University of Michigan in Ann Arbor are partnering to offer a free virtual program on mental health diagnosis, treatments, financial resources, and advocacy.
The program, titled Mind Matters, will take place from 7-8:30 p.m. March 3. It is designed to help people who are struggling with mental health issues, or their families, who want more information on how to start getting medical help and determine the right therapeutic fit.
Panelists will provide advice on ways to get diagnosed, treatment models, financial resources available, how to advocate for yourself or a loved one, and resources available for caregivers. Panelists include experts from JVS + Kadima and the University of Michigan’s Department of Psychiatry.
For interested social workers, this Mind Matters webinar also provides a 1.0 continuing education credit via the last question on the webinar’s registration page, which is located here.
