Healthcare

Muskegon is fortunate to have healthcare facilities and services that are among the very best in the midwest.

Mercy Health Partners (MHP), the primary healthcare provider in the area, was recently ranked first in Michigan for coronary interventional procedures by HealthGrades, the nation’s leading independent healthcare ratings company. In addition, MHP achieved HealthGrades’ highest grade – five-stars – in several specialty areas:

Coronary interventional procedures

Treatment of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)

Treatment of pneumonia

Treatment of respiratory failure

Repair of abdominal aorta surgeries

Carotid surgeries

Cholecystectomy surgeries (gall bladder)

Additionally, MHP was named one of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals for cardiovascular care by the Healthcare business of Thomson Reuters. The significance of this award is described by Thomson Reuters:

The 100 Top Hospitals® Cardiovascular award recognizes hospitals that have set national clinical and management benchmarks for full-service cardiovascular programs during a single year. Analysis is limited to the more than 1,000 hospitals that have open heart units, and performance is evaluated in four key cardiovascular treatment areas for Medicare patients: congestive heart failure, acute myocardial infarction (AMI) or heart attack, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary artery bypass graft (CABG).

Cardiovascular disease remains the number one killer in the United States. Although patient survival rates for hospital cardiovascular treatment are on the rise — now over 96 percent for all U.S. hospitals — there is still room for improvement in a number of areas. Setting national benchmarks for improving cardiovascular care raises the bar for full-service cardiovascular hospitals across the nation.

Listed below are some of the outstanding healthcare facilities operated by MHP in Muskegon:

Mercy Health Partners – Mercy Campus (181 Beds)
Services:

Johnson Family Center for Cancer Care
Center for Children’s Health & Safety
Center for Sleep Disorders
Center for Weight Management
Women’s Health Centers
Heart & Vascular Institute
Mercy H.E.A.R.T. Center
Special Delivery Birth Center
Mercy Health Partners – Muskegon General (Hackley) Campus (209 Beds)
Services:

Hackley Health Management
Hackley Hearing Center
Hackley Visiting Nurse Services & Hospice
Life Counseling
Hackley Health at the Lakes
Hackley Health Management
Hackley Healthcare Equipment

According to Sperling’s Best Places, Muskegon has 172 physicians per 100,000 population compared to the national average of 170.

View the Joint Commission’s Quality Report for Mercy General Health Partners.

Important Michigan Pension Tax Law Changes to Know About

A new law governing how retirement income will be taxed starting in 2012 sets up a three-tier system, depending on a retiree's age. All three tiers avoid taxing Social Security income and military pensions. For couples, the age of the older spouse applies. Here's how the system works:

• Residents born before 1946 will continue to get the same tax breaks they have now. Public pensions will not be taxed. Income from private pensions, 401(k)s and IRAs will not be taxed on amounts up to $45,120 for single filers and $90,240 for joint filers. This will affect about 480,000 tax returns.

• Residents born between Jan. 1, 1946, and Dec. 31, 1952, will have all retirement income liable to tax, whether it's from a public or private pension, 401(k) or IRA. Exemptions can be claimed for up to $20,000 for a single filer and up to $45,000 for joint filers. Above those levels, retirement income will be taxed at the state income tax rate of 4.35 percent. When these residents turn 67, the $20,000/$40,000 exemption applies to all income, not just retirement income. If household resources exceed $75,000 for a single return or $150,000 for a joint return, the $20,000/$40,000 exemption is eliminated. The exemption also is eliminated if a taxpayer claims a deduction for a military or railroad pension. This will affect about 230,000 returns.

• Residents born after 1952 will see all retirement income taxed as regular income until they turn 67, at which point they'll qualify for a senior income exemption of $20,000 for single filers and $40,000 for joint filers on all income. If household resources exceed $75,000 for a single return or $150,000 for a joint return, the $20,000/$40,000 exemption is eliminated. A taxpayer can forgo the $20,000/$40,000 exemption and instead deduct 100 percent of Social Security income. A taxpayer claiming the $20,000/$40,000 exemption can't claim the deduction for Social Security or the standard personal exemption. This will affect about 150,000 returns.

Sources: Senate Fiscal Agency, Treasury Department

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