Blade: University of Toledo Medical Center granted level 2 trauma center designation

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The University of Toledo Medical Center, the former Medical College of Ohio, has been designated as a Level 2 trauma center, which means that the hospital has greater capabilities to respond to incoming trauma cases.

On Tuesday the state granted the designation approval, which the hospital sought late last year. The University of Toledo Medical Center had been a Level 3 trauma center since August 2019 after it chose to downgrade from a Level 1, an action that came on the heels of a poor financial forecast at that time.

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Blade Editorial: More good news for UTMC

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Note: this editorial was published in the February 5, 2022 edition of the Toledo Blade.

The reversal of fortune at the University of Toledo Medical Center continues with a recently announced increase in the Medicare reimbursement rate.

That change will net another $25 million for UTMC, the former Medical College of Ohio Hospital. The increase was approved by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. That could become an annual number. The money was granted as part of the CMS Supplemental Payment program to offset the hospital’s uncompensated care costs for Medicaid services, according to Blade reporter Jeff Schmucker.

That’s good news for Medicaid patients as well as the medical center. About 20 percent of UTMC’s patients use Medicaid, Dr. Gregory Postel said. And Medicaid doesn’t reimburse at the same rate as private insurances.

The added funds will free up UTMC to treat more patients in need and increase quality care while not draining resources. The money will help upgrade equipment, among other positives.

U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo) helped procure some of the funding, along with Ohio Department of Medicaid Director Maureen Corcoran and Gov. Mike DeWine.

“Today will go down in history as the day we helped secure the future of The University of Toledo Medical Center,” Ms. Kaptur said. “UTMC is a foundational pillar of our region. Every day, countless hospital staff, doctors, nurses, professors, and students mask up and show up to deliver the life-sustaining and lifesaving care our community needs, particularly those who are most underserved.”

It’s all part of the revival underway at UTMC for the past two years. Things looked bleak ,but a coalition of local folks and university leaders came together to turn things around.

It goes to show what a determined group of folks can achieve even when things seem impossible. UTMC can prosper and will prosper — with continued focus on a grand coalition between faculty, staff, and the public.

It was a long struggle and it’s not quite time to declare victory, but UTMC is getting there.

Continued vigilance and dedication can continue and assure progress.

Blade: UTMC to receive $25 million in federal funding

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The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approved a higher Medicaid reimbursement rate for the University of Toledo Medical Center that will provide another $25 million to the institution.

UT President Dr. Gregory Postel said Wednesday the decision puts UTMC, formerly known as the Medical College of Ohio Hospital, in line to potentially receive this funding, and more, on an annual basis.

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Blade Editorial: Activism helped brighten UTMC’s future

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Note: this editorial was published in the December 18, 2021 edition of the Toledo Blade.

The University of Toledo Medical Center is back after a rough few years. Nothing makes that more clear than plans to return the hospital to a Level 2 Trauma Center.

The shift to a Level 3 center happened in 2019, so the recovery is remarkably quick and a tribute to the new leadership at the university. The center recently obtained provisional approval for a move back up the ladder. In 2019 the center held Level 1 status.

The move will require an increase in staffing. That likely won’t happen until the middle of next year. And then of course, who knows what the omicron variant might bring?

The good news is, more and more local programs prepare students for roles in the field of medicine and medical care. Local training for local jobs creates a winning situation for patients and providers.

Too many people thought the university and the former Medical College of Ohio hospital were dying a slow death. Instead, the school sat dormant until committed citizens, doctors, professors, staff, and university leaders pushed to turn things around. The key person among those leaders was UT President Gregory Postel.

And turn around they have — from financial disaster to a future for the medical school and the hospital.

Those citizens included notables like Carty Finkbeiner and U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo), and many nonprofessional public advocates who cared about the hospital and the medical school.

Many had experienced either in person or through family members the wonderful care at UTMC.

Challenges remain, including staffing shortages and the transfer of some cases to other hospitals, largely because of the shortage.

The long-term goal, said Dr. Michael Ellis, the chief medical officer, is to return UTMC to a Level 1 trauma center. That may take some time. Then again, many folks thought time was up for UTMC just a year ago.

The future for UTMC, though, is just beginning.

Winkler: UTMC founders would be proud of turnaround

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Note: this letter to the editor was published in the October 11, 2021 edition of the Toledo Blade.

An important part of the impressive financial turnaround of the University of Toledo Medical Center, the former Medical College of Ohio Hospital, is University of Toledo President Dr. Greg Postel’s decision not to sell or lease the facility.

Instead, he and other senior administrators confidently placed a big bet that the hospital could make money with new investments in staff, technology and marketing, and with the outpouring of community support, notably the Save UTMC Coalition.

And so far his wager is paying off with the recent announcement the hospital finished the fiscal year with a $4 million surplus.

Credit the quick boost in revenues and in performance to frontline employees who worked to improve billing processes to make sure the hospital was getting paid for all the care it was providing, to find operating room and outpatient clinic efficiencies, to renegotiate contracts with medical insurers, and to improve patient volumes necessary for educational opportunities for medical students and resident physicians.

Universities like UT that operate health-professions colleges and teaching hospitals have a major responsibility for advancing community health and wellness, an obligation best fulfilled when there is a high degree of medical school-hospital connectedness and tight organizational integration.

That synergy would have been fractured had a sale or lease of the facility occurred.

UTMC has had its ups and downs, and it will have to remain nimble and not get complacent for its achievement to stand the test of time.

But it’s now clear that what the founders of MCO like Paul Block, Jr., and Dr. Frank Rawling dreamed of early 1960s—an academic health science center with a vibrant teaching hospital — northwest Ohioans now rely on as a necessity for their health and longevity.

And for now, that portends a bright future for the hospital.

JIM WINKLER

Gainesville, Fla.

Editor’s note: The writer worked in several communication positions at MCO and UT for more than 30 years and is one of four editors of the book, “A Community of Scholars: Recollections of the Early Years of the Medical College of Ohio.”

Blade Editorial: Saving UTMC

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Note: this editorial was published in the September 28, 2021 edition of the Toledo Blade.

Just a little more than a year ago, the fate of University of Toledo Medical Center was uncertain at best. Facing steep financial losses and large budget deficit forecasts, University of Toledo officials announced in April, 2020, that they planned to request bids from parties interested in buying, leasing, or managing the medical center.

Flash forward to September, 2021, and the same University of Toledo trustees are now reporting that instead of the predicted $14 million deficit, UTMC ended its fiscal year roughly $4 million ahead.

UTMC’s financial officer called the turnaround “profound.” It certainly is that. Also, it is a testament to the power of community activism.

University trustees reviewing the good financial news pointed to UTMC’s recent partnership with the Toledo Clinic, along with marketing and operating improvements, improved results and additional revenue for the turnaround.

All of those factors added up to a successful strategy for UTMC, but another essential element was the work of a community group determined to keep a community hospital in South Toledo.

From the moment UT announced it would consider proposals to potentially sell the hospital, neighbors sprung into action and persistently pressured University of Toledo leaders and elected leaders to not only save UTMC, but restore it.

The only certain bidder interested in taking over UTMC operations was ProMedica, which the neighborhood supporters blamed substantially for the financial troubles at the hospital. The health-care system’s 5-year-old affiliation agreement with the medical college had siphoned off students, residents, medical staff, and patients, all of which drained UTMC.

The Save UTMC Coalition pressured UT to amend its bylaws and allow non-faculty physicians to bring some services back to the South Toledo hospital. It also pushed back against the school’s affiliation with ProMedica, and asked state legislators to halt a potential sale of UTMC.

By July, the university announced it was no longer considering proposals to purchase, lease, or manage the UTMC. Instead, university officials said they would instead focus on stabilizing the former Medical College of Ohio hospital’s finances.

And while financial challenges remain — many of them exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic — UTMC’s circumstances are dramatically improved. The hospital and university officials who worked to right the financial ship deserve much credit.

The neighbors who banded together and refused to give up a vital community asset deserve credit too. Their committed activism has made Toledo a better place.

News Release 5/11/2021

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Dear Save UTMC Coalition,

Over the last couple of months, the Coalition steering committee has been hard at work. We would first like to report that Senator Fedor and the rest of our Ohio legislative leaders have been working with the University to put language in the budget for additional Medicaid dollars that could amount to around $27.5 million dollars for UTMC.

The leadership of the hospital has started training sessions that involve the Epic software that was a significant expenditure for the University. This software will help the University communicate with other facilities and clinics to enhance the patient care experience. Additionally, the University approved monies to upgrade our medication dispensing system. We are hearing that we may be seeing a new MRI machine soon. Just recently the hospital received a three-star rating for overall quality of care from the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services. Our hospital also received a [B] rating in the spring 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, a mark that recognizes the Hospital’s continued focus on patient safety. UTMC is among Toledo’s top metro hospitals in this recent leapfrog report. UTMC CEO Rick Swaine said the hospital’s entire workforce deserves credit for these improved rankings.

On Monday, May 3rd, President Postel delivered his 2021 State of the University address. In his remarks, President Postel reiterated his vigorous support for our hospital and our South Toledo medical campus. President Postel also highlighted a new partnership between the Dana Cancer Center and the Toledo Clinic. The DCC is thriving since partnering with the Toledo Clinic by advancing our resources to help our cancer challenged patients. Dr. James Willey was recently appointed the Medical Director of our Dana Cancer Center.

During the 2020-2021 pandemic our Rockets adapted and triumphed, especially our hospital and it’s health specialties. With a sense of urgency, we became a leader regionally and nationwide. UTMC is currently one of the first sites in the country to enroll patients in a national study aimed at identifying promising COVID-19 treatments. UTMC also continues to serve as one of Ohio’s COVID-19 vaccination sites providing vaccines to the public through its partnership with the Lucas County Health Department. Additionally, the University has hosted several vaccination clinics exclusively for our students, faculty, and staff. Our new advertising states “We are open for you.”

Lastly, our “Save UTMC Coalition” has a new supply of our popular “We Love UTMC/MCO” yard signs. Please call Carty or Randy to get your new yard signage. May you all be safe and blessed as we work together to grow and strengthen our South Toledo campus and hospital.

Carty Finkbeiner
419-309-5636

Randy Desposito
419-671-8001

Winkler: Postel a fighter for UT

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Note: this letter to the editor was published in the March 13, 2021 edition of the Toledo Blade.

The University of Toledo board of trustees’ decision to name interim president Dr. Gregory Postel to the post permanently is welcome news.

For the last nine months, Dr. Postel has clearly proved to be much more than a caretaker president.

With his medical training and extensive experience in academic medicine, he has navigated the university though the coronavirus pandemic, put the University of Toledo Medical Center, the former Medical College of Ohio Hospital, on the path to fiscal health, and oversees preparations for a comprehensive review of the university’s programs later this year by the Chicago-based Higher Learning Commission, an organization that accredits colleges and universities in Ohio and 18 other states. It is one of seven accrediting agencies in the country.

Particularly heartening was his decision not to sell or lease UTMC following strong support for the facility from area residents.

UTMC has demonstrated its vital role to the region during the coronavirus pandemic. Front-line physicians, nurses, and other health-care workers have treated coronavirus patients, putting themselves and their families at risk. The hospital’s rapid coronavirus testing capacities have been invaluable. Researchers such as Dr. Michael Ellis are directing NIH-sponsored clinical trials to better understand and treat medical issues created by the virus.

With new investments in staff, technology, and marketing and the partnership with the Toledo Clinic, UTMC seems to be getting its financial footing. Challenges lie ahead for the university post-pandemic, but for now there are plenty of reasons for optimism with Dr. Postel and Alfred Baker, chairman of the UT Board of Trustees, at the helm.

The mascot for the athletic teams at the College of Wooster, Dr. Postel’s undergraduate alma mater, is the “Fighting Scots,” a nod to the college’s Presbyterian heritage.

Dr. Postel might quibble with the characterization, but to my mind, he has been just that — a fighter for UT.

JIM WINKLER

Gainesville, Fla.

Editor’s note: The writer worked in several communication positions at MCO and UT for more than 30 years and is one of four editors of the book, “A Community of Scholars: Recollections of the Early Years of the Medical College of Ohio.”