On April 11, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer appointed Mark DeLano, M.D., FACR, professor and chair of the Michigan State University Department of Radiology in the Colleges of Osteopathic and Human Medicine, to Michigan’s Certificate of Need Commission. This bi-partisan state regulatory program, comprised of representatives from hospitals, nursing homes, medicine, nursing, medical education, employers, organized labor and health insurers, reviews and maintains standards for capacity, access, need and costs related to health care services provided in Michigan.
“A large part of being a physician is a commitment – an oath – to do the best you can on behalf of your patients. Being a proper steward of scarce medical resources is an important duty,” Dr. DeLano shared. “The Certificate of Need Commission establishes rules that the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services uses to make decisions regarding applications for some of these rather expensive, but critically important resources. These include imaging devices, such as MRI and PET scanners, and patient care services, such as neonatal intensive care units. Helping the most patients in the most equitable, safe and effective way is fundamental to the mission.”
Dr. DeLano, who is a radiologist, explained that imaging services, for example, need to be properly utilized, and work performed by the Certificate of Need Commission can help modulate cost and access to care, which he said are currently growing at unsustainable rates.
“Not everybody needs to be imaged for everything. There is a positive economic impact to reducing our healthcare expenditure. By encouraging appropriate use of imaging with evidence-based practice and input from subject matter experts across the country, we can also help reduce the diagnostic uncertainty, guiding and directing care, and help physicians return people to their happy, healthy state,” Dr. DeLano shared. “Oftentimes, these are complicated scenarios, and physicians need help to understand what’s going on. Imaging can clarify and streamline patient care and appropriate imaging services need to be available for those who truly need them.”
Dr. DeLano, of Ada, Mich., is a member of the Michigan Radiological Society and the Michigan State Medical Society. He earned both his Bachelor of Science in biology and his Doctor of Medicine from MSU. He continued his training in radiology at Duke University and neuroradiology at Johns Hopkins University, before returning to MSU. Dr. DeLano is appointed to the Certificate of Need Commission to represent licensed physicians, schools of medicine and the Democratic Party for a term that commenced on April 11, 2024, and expires April 9, 2026.
Dean supported appointment
In her March 18 letter to Gov. Whitmer, Joyce deJong, D.O., dean of the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine, wrote of Dr. DeLano’s medical and professional expertise, as well as his dedication to patient-centered initiatives and healthcare leadership at MSU. She also shared his prior committee involvement, specifically on an ad hoc MRI Standard Review Committee for the Certificate of Need Commission and on the PET Standard Advisory Committee for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
“I strongly endorse Dr. Mark C. DeLano’s candidacy for the CON Commission,” Dean deJong stated in her letter. “His experience, expertise, and dedication to advancing healthcare make him exceptionally well-suited for this role and I am confident that he will serve with distinction and contribute significantly to the commission’s mandate.”
More about the Certificate of Need Commission
The 11-member commission oversees key project initiatives in hospitals, psychiatric hospitals and units, nursing homes and long-term care units in hospitals, freestanding surgical outpatient facilities, and health maintenance organizations. Specifically, the Commission of Need is responsible for ensuring any starting, replacement or expansion of certain medical services; increase to the number of licensed beds or relocation of licensed beds to another site; acquirement of existing health facilities; or beginning operations of new health facilities meet the commission’s Review Standards.
In addition, the commission is responsible for developing, approving, disapproving and revising its Review Standards, and is authorized to recommend revisions to the list of covered clinical services that are subject to the commission’s review. These services include cardiac catheterization services; computed tomography (CT) scanners; numbers of hospital beds; magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) services; megavoltage radiation therapy (MRT) services; neonatal intensive care units (NICUs); nursing home and hospital long-term care unit beds; open-heart surgery services; positron emission tomography (PET) scanners; psychiatric beds and services; surgical services; transplantation services for bone marrow including peripheral stem cells, hearts, lungs, and livers; and urinary lithotripters.