Henry Ford Hospital - Historical Highlights: 2000s - 2015

Henry Ford Hospital performed Michigan's first adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation. The 14-hour surgery was performed by Drs. Marwan Abouljoud and Atsi Yoshida.

The Henry Ford Hospital anticoagulation program received recognition from the American Medical Group Association for its breakthrough improvements in patient care and tracking the use of the drug Coumadin.

David Nathanson, M.D., surgical oncologist with the Josephine Ford Cancer Center, was trained to perform a procedure called sentinel node biopsy for detecting breast cancer in the lymph system. The procedure inserts blue dye and a radioactive solution near the tumor to track the path where the tumor might spread.

Gail Warden, President and CEO of Henry Ford Hospital, co-authors a landmark report with others in the field called 'To Err is Human' and is invited to the White House by President William Clinton. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) report outlined methods for hospitals to report and to lower medical errors.

The Josephine Ford Cancer Center broke ground on the $2 million expansion project at the Henry Ford Medical Center West Bloomfield Center named the "Williams International Cancer Wing" in honor of the Williams International Company which pledged $1.5 million for the addition.

The Division of Bariatric Surgery was developed under Riad Farah, M.D. and Jeffrey Genaw, M.D. It has since become one of Henry Ford Medical Group's Centers of Excellence.

Nancy Schlichting is named CEO of Henry Ford Health System. She is the first woman to hold the position of CEO of Henry Ford Hospital and Henry Ford Health System.

Kimberlydawn Wisdom, M.D. was appointed as Michigan's first Surgeon General by Governor Jennifer Granholm. Dr. Wisdom served on committees with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health.

Henry Ford Health System was the first health system in Michigan to receive the Foster G. McGaw prize. The annual award is given to an organization committed to programs and services that promote health and well-being in the community.

Marwan Abouljoud, M.D. serves as director of the newly established Henry Ford Transplant Institute.

The Henry Ford Heart and Vascular Institute Paul and Lynn Alandt Catheterization and Electrophysiology Center opened and featured the first electromagnetic navigation suite in Michigan.

Henry Ford Health System joined the national quality initiative "100,000 Lives Campaign."

Henry Ford Medical Center - Harbortown, a 7,500-square-foot clinic, was opened in Detroit.

Henry Ford Health System was awarded $5 million to reduce disparities in cancer care. It was the only health system in the Midwest awarded funds from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Ron M. Davis, M.D., director of the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, was named president-elect of the American Medical Association.

The 12,000-square-foot Center for Simulation, Education, and Research opened at Henry Ford Hospital. The Center is an educational facility where healthcare professionals can practice clinical skills and new techniques using medical simulators.

The Multidisciplinary Neurofibromatosis Clinic received national affiliated status by the Children's Tumor Foundation. It is the only clinic in Michigan and one of 21 such clinics in the U.S. to receive this recognition. 

Henry Ford Health System acquired St. Joseph's Mercy of Macomb Hospitals which are renamed "Henry Ford Macomb Hospitals."

Oscar Carretero, M.D., division head of Hypertension and Vascular Research, was awarded a $12 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant. The five year grant provided funds to study the role of the kidney in blood pressure regulation and how chronic high blood pressure damages the kidney, heart, and vasculature.

The Vattikuti Urology Institute neared 4,000 robotic procedures, more than any other hospital in the world.

The Henry Ford II West Pavilion, a $35 million expansion at the Henry Ford Hospital campus, opened to the public. 

Henry Ford Hospital participated in a domino donor kidney transplant in which eight patients received a new kidney from eight unrelated donors at four hospitals in four states. The surgeries became the largest series of kidney paired donation procedures ever undertaken. The surgeries were performed on four separate days at Henry Ford Hospital, Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Integris Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City, and Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.

The Michigan legislature passed the Dr. Ron Davis Smoke-Free Air Law on December 10, 2009 to preserve and improve the health, comfort, and environment of people in the state by limiting exposure to secondhand smoke. The law was named in honor of the late Henry Ford physician who was a national expert on the ill effects of smoking and who had served as the Director for the State of Michigan Department of Community Health.

The Henry Ford Hospital intensive care unit was expanded and became the largest ICU in Michigan with 243 rooms.

Under the direction of Michael Eichenhorn, M.D., Henry Ford Hospital's medical intensive care unit (MICU) grew to be the largest of its kind in Michigan.

The $360 million Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital opened to the public. The 730,000-square-foot hospital is the second hospital built in the history of the institution.

Henry Ford Hospital was the first hospital in Michigan to use NanoKnife technology. NanoKnife is a minimally-invasive ablative technique used to destroy pancreatic tumors.

The Henry Ford Intestine and Multivisceral Transplant Program was established and was the first and only intestine transplant program in Michigan.

The first intestinal transplant in Michigan under the direction of Marwan Kazimi, M.D., director of the Small Bowel Multivisceral Program, and Marwan Abouljoud, M.D., director of the Henry Ford Transplant Institute, was performed. The 11-hour, composite multivisceral transplant procedure included transplantation of the patient's small bowel, stomach, and pancreas.

Henry Ford Health System and Wayne State University signed a new five-year affiliation agreement to provide greater academic opportunities for medical students.

Henry Ford Health System was one of only four recipients in the United States, and the only organization in Michigan, to receive the 2011 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The award is based on an institution's achievement in areas of effectiveness, sustainability, innovation, world-class results, integrated processes, and the ability to create a national network to support and sustain the organization.

HFHS received the John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Award in Washington D.C. The health system was recognized for its successful "No Harm Campaign" which aimed to decrease patient injury and increase the awareness of safety.

The Henry Ford Innovation Institute opened in the renovated Education Building on the Henry Ford Hospital campus. The Innovation Institute is a collaboration with the Henry Ford Medical Group, the Wayne State University School of Engineering, and the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit. The goal of the partnership is to research and design medical products that enhance patient care and create a new industry in the region.

Michigan's first high resolution high-field intra-operative MRI system (Brainsuite MRI) was introduced at the Hermelin Brain Tumor Center.

Henry Ford Hospital's first Transoral Robotic Surgery (TORS) was performed by Tamer Ghanem, M.D., director of the Head and Neck Oncology and Microvascular Surgery Division, in the Department of Otolaryngology. The minimally-invasive procedure allows surgeons to remove certain mouth and throat tumors through the mouth thereby providing a nearly scarless surgery.

The 20th annual Quality Expo was held at Henry Ford Hospital.

Henry Ford Hospital performed Michigan's first LARIAT procedure. This procedure treats atrial fibrillation in patients who are unable to take blood thinning medications thereby limiting the patient's risk of stroke.

Henry Ford Health System began implementation of Project Helios (Epic), an electronic medical records system. It was designed to standardize and transform the delivery of care and business processes throughout the system.

The Henry Ford Center for Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery opened at the Henry Ford Medical Center - Cottage in Grosse Pointe Farms. It was the first center of its kind in Michigan to focus on glaucoma surgery.

The Henry Ford Center for Cancer Surgery was launched.

Doctors at Henry Ford Hospital performed the first transcaval valve replacement procedure. This approach creates a new route to the heart to implant an artificial heart valve by temporarily connecting major blood vessels that do not normally intersect. The procedure was developed by Robert Lederman, M.D., an interventional cardiologist at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Henry Ford Hospital is the only hospital in the U.S. performing the procedure.

Henry Ford Health System was the first in Michigan to:

• Use FibroScan, an ultrasound device that provides a non-invasive alternative for liver biopsy.
• Implant a subcutaneous (under the skin) defibrillator to treat patients at risk of sudden cardiac arrest.
• Take part in a national research study to assess the use of stem cells in order to preserve heart muscle function after a recent heart attack.
• Perform a procedure that delivered medication directly to the site of the a narrowed artery via a balloon in order to help patients who cannot have stents.
• Receive ISO 150189 accreditation to Quality Management Standards for its medical laboratories. The HFHS medical laboratories are one of 23 laboratories nationally to receive this accreditation from the College of American Pathologists. 

The Henry Ford Innovation Institute made national headlines when it unveiled its redesigned patient gown. The gown completely closes in the back, features snaps instead of ties, is made of warmer material, and provides easy access to IVs and other medical lines.

"Early Goal Directed Therapy," an aggressive therapy for treating sepsis was endorsed as a national practice benchmark by the National Quality Forum (NQF). The therapy was pioneered by vice-chairman and research director of Henry Ford's Department of Emergency Medicine, Emanuel Rivers, M.D, MPH.

The Josephine Ford Cancer Center was renamed the Josephine Ford Cancer Institute in order to reflect the scope of cancer research, clinical programs, and education carried out by the organization.  

The Henry Ford Innovation Institute established the William Davidson Center for Entrepreneurs in Digital Health from a $3 million, 3-year grant from the William Davidson Foundation.

The first "Edge™ Radiosurgery Suite" in North America was available at the Josephine Ford Cancer Institute at Henry Ford Hospital. This new cancer treatment technology is designed to perform advanced, non-invasive procedures anywhere in the body with precision and low-toxicity.

Doctors from the Henry Ford Bone Marrow Stem Cell Transplant Program and the Henry Ford Transplant Institute successfully performed its first double-cord stem cell transplant. The procedure is a promising treatment for minorities affected by disparities in life-saving transplant options.

The Henry Ford Transplant Institute and the Children's Hospital of Michigan formed a pediatric transplant collaboration. The collaboration provides metro Detroit's only pediatric kidney transplant program and the tri-county area's only pediatric heart transplant program.

Henry Ford Hospital opened the Pigmented Lesions Clinic, the first of its kind in Michigan. A part of the Department of Dermatology, the clinic specializes in monitoring and treating patients with 50-100+ moles who are at a high risk of developing skin cancer.

William O'Neill and the interventional cardiology team performed its 25th successful transcaval valve replacement.

Henry Ford Hospital team is the first in the U.S. to replace a tricuspid heart valve outside of the heart.

Michael Chopp, Ph.D., scientific director of the Henry Ford Neuroscience Institute at Henry Ford Hospital, received the 2014 Abraham White Distinguished Science Award for his discovery of the role of a protein in the treatment of brain injuries and neurodegenerative diseases.

Henry Ford Hospital celebrates its 100 Year Anniversary! 

In February, doctors at Henry Ford Hospital performed a world's first medical procedure. The AngioVac device was used to successfully suction a cancerous tumor from a major vein in a patient with metastatic kidney cancer, allowing the patient to undergo minimally-invasive kidney removal. 

Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital was recognized as one of America's 100 Best Hospitals by Healthgrades. 

In March, the Henry Ford Transplant Institute performed the first dual heart-lung transplant in the metro-Detroit area. 

The Henry Ford Quick Care Clinic opened on Woodward Avenue in downtown Detroit in August.

In September, Henry Ford Health System announced plans to build a $110 million cancer center adjacent to the Detroit campus.