Wyoming, Mich.-based Metro Health President and CEO Michael Faas said the health system is becoming "a force in the market" following its affiliation with Ann Arbor-based University of Michigan Health System, according to MiBiz.
Mr. Faas said more healthcare organizations have expressed interest in partnering with Metro Health because of UMHS' brand recognition. Since declaring the affiliation in December, the health system acquired a family physician practice, recruited several physicians and begun the process of obtaining a certificate of need to upgrade its special care nursery at Wyoming-based Metro Health Hospital's childbirth center, according to the report.
Mr. Faas said those initiatives are just the start of Metro Health's growth. He said the health system aims to attract physicians in other disciplines, including obstetricians, gynecologists, pulmonologists and bariatric surgeons.
"Metro Health has started a new chapter in its life … All the opportunities in this broader region — organizations, physicians and others — see Metro in a new light. They see choice being created in the market and they see an option being created in the market. They want to know if there is a way they could align with us, if it makes sense, and so we're having conversations that were not possible before."
The health system may also look into developing its primary care and outpatient centers, Mr. Faas said.