Michigan State University and Sparrow Hospital in Lansing have added a new Center for Innovation to their three-year-old affiliation.
The new center will be devoted to researching how to improve the patient experience. A search for a director to lead the effort is underway.
Dr. Brian Schroeder is Sparrow's Chief of Medical Affairs. He says the hospital and MSU want to learn more about how patients perceive the quality of their care.
"We oftentimes look to them as being the guide by which we judge the effectiveness of the care that we provide," Dr. Schroeder says.
Dr. Schroeder says the research could include non-medical departments at Michigan State, such as the Colleges of Business, Engineering, and Communication Arts and Sciences.