Former HAP CEO gives back to advance cardiological care

From working behind-the-scenes in the healthcare industry to being on the receiving end as a patient, Francine Parker has a long, impactful history with Henry Ford Health.

Fran was one of the original eight team members that started Health Alliance Plan (HAP) – Henry Ford Health’s health plan subsidiary – and over the course of her nearly 30-year tenure, she was a driving force behind the organization’s growth. Fran worked her way up the ranks to become the CEO of HAP from 2004 until her retirement from the company in 2008.

“To me, what made HAP, HAP was the strength of the doctors and the medical group. It opened up my eyes to what the effect of quality, service and coordinated care could be,” said Fran. “Much of that came from me being able to work with and understand the needs of the hospitals and the various medical practices, both group and private.”

As HAP grew, she also witnessed the growth of Henry Ford Health from the flagship Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit out to the surrounding Metro Detroit communities through the addition of medical centers and expansion to new hospitals.

Because of her proximity to Henry Ford’s care continuum over the course of her career, Fran is no stranger to philanthropy and its role in healthcare delivery.

“Henry Ford influenced my philanthropy from the standpoint that I saw the value of a strong medical practice and saw what healthcare in an integrated practice could deliver in terms of quality and service,” she said, acknowledging expansions made possible by philanthropy, like Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital.

But it was the care experiences of Fran’s loved ones – as well as her own patient experience – that have reinforced her belief that giving back should be personal.

A health scare brought Fran to the Henry Ford Macomb Hospital Emergency Department, where she met cardiologists Drs. Ali Shakir and Subhi Sbahi. So moved by the attentive care she received from them, Fran decided that she wanted to make a gift that would not only recognize their efforts but would also benefit patients directly. That’s why she asked Heart & Vascular leadership, “What do those doctors think would make a difference at Macomb?”

The answer came in the form of 4D intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) technology. ICE is a procedure that involves using a catheter-based ultrasound to image interior structures of the heart in real-time. This technology helps in the treatment of heart conditions such as atrial fibrillation.

“It’s something that gives value, but more importantly, another patient – another person like me – will benefit from state-of-the-art equipment that wasn’t there before,” she shared.

Thanks to Fran’s generosity, Henry Ford Macomb Hospital is the first hospital in the system to have 4D ICE technology. Today, she’s thankful for the care she received and also for the opportunity to pay that care forward through a gift to help other patients.

“Healthcare is personal. When you forget about that then it ceases to be a good experience,” Fran shared. “I use the same philosophy when I look at philanthropy: what is personal to you?”