Various studies, including one published in 2019 by Harvard researchers, also show that hospital mergers result in worsened patient experiences. Terms of the deal arent disclosed, likely because Spectrum is gaining control of Beaumont and its $3.5 billion reserve for next-to-nothing, and possibly paying nothing at all based on Foxs previous deal making. 'The Week That Was:' Will Kristina Karamo Seriously Damage Michigan's Republican Party? Among the benefits of the deal Fox trumpeted was a $1 billion commitment to move the William Beaumont School of Medicine from Oakland University to Beaumonts flagship Royal Oak campus and a significant increase in technology spending. View Comments. A source told me that Barbee was highly regarded among Spectrums Black employees but was frustrated by his inability to achieve meaningful change. Spectrums joint release with Beaumont says the aim of the deal is to make health care more affordable for the communities we serve. Heres my challenge to Freese Decker: For every independent study she can come up with showing where hospital mergers resulted in more affordable care, I will come up with two showing the opposite. Spectrums takeover of Beaumont was a deal that should never have been allowed. Craig's guest is Eric Starkman, Deadline Detroit contributor and author of the blog Starkman Approved. That's bad news for Metro Detroit's biggest hospital . Freed might want to reach out to Mark Shaevsky, a prominent southeastern Michigan attorney and a former Beaumont board member before it merged with two lesser hospital companies in 2014. Allowing them to continue profiting from their mismanagement would undermine Spectrum managements credibility from the get-go. Even more disconcerting: Beaumont chairwoman Julie Fream will serve as chairwoman if the companies merge. But Beaumonts release last month announcing her elevation to chair to replace John Lewis provides some insight. Tina Freese Decker, president and CEO of Spectrum, is chair of the Michigan Health & Hospital Association. It is said that you can judge a person by the company they keep. How Absurd. The writer, a Los Angeles freelancer and formerDetroit News business reporter, blogs atStarkman Approved. Disgruntled Staff. Beaumont is offering all its nurses systemwide an additional $45 to $50 an hour bonus to work beyond their assigned shifts, an additional $15 an hour for techs. More importantly, I doubt that Spectrums doctors would feel the need to circumvent management in the first place. The merger rationale was that hospitals benefitted from getting bigger and achieving economies of scale. Beaumont CEO John Fox will forever be remembered in the Detroit area as a con man. A lifelong Michigander with an impressive background, Barbee resigned in October to join Indiana University Health as head of HR. Ohios AG has won a series of landmark settlements taking on healthcare companies. The FTC is headed by Lina Khan, a Democrat appointed by Biden and sworn in last June 15 to a three-year term. Other state attorney generals have also shown a willingness to take on the powerful interests of U.S. hospital companies. The only remaining senior management executives are Grant, the chief nursing officer, and Jane Jordan, the chief lawyer, who like Grant and CEO Fox, has her primary home in Atlanta. Typically, when deals of these sorts are announced, the CEO of the acquired company pays lip service to being committed to ensuring a smooth transition and promises to stick around and lend their full support. 'The Week That Was:' Will Kristina Karamo Seriously Damage Michigan's Republican Party? Whats notable about the joint announcement and Beaumonts internal communications is whats missing. To be sure, Beaumont isnt alone in suffering from a nursing shortage. By Eric Starkman Beaumont Health CEO John Fox has no shame. Starkman: Electric Vehicles and the Exploitation of Michigan Taxpayers. Meet Michael Freed, decidedly among the bravest persons in Michigan and one who acts on his conscience when it comes to protecting the health care of his hometown Grand Rapids community. Fox and Wilson could possibly be given lucrative ceremonial or consulting roles, which would antagonize Beaumonts rank-and-file because both executives are widely despised. BHSHs management team is comprised entirely of Spectrum executives, except Beaumont Royal Oak president Nancy Susick, who has been named interim president of what is being called BHSH Beaumont Health. In his video, Fox disclosed that none of the monies for the planned expansion are being diverted from funds to deal with Beaumonts chronic staff shortages that have forced the closing of wards because there isnt sufficient medical staff to cover them. Spectrums CEO Freese Decker joined Spectrum in 2002 as an administrative fellow, a program designed to train masters level graduates the administrative aspects of a healthcare facility. This columnist, a Los Angeles freelancer, is a former Detroit News business reporter who blogs atStarkman Approved. Reach Eric Starkman at: eric@starkmanapproved.com. What, if any, role Wilson will play after the merger hasnt been disclosed. This columnist, a Los Angeles freelancer, is a former Detroit News business reporter who blogs atStarkman Approved. The courage it took for Freed to write and post a letter questioning the judgment of Spectrums board and reminding them of their fiduciary responsibilities cannot be emphasized enough. To the distaste of the pediatric heads colleagues, Susick walked him out of the hospital in front of his staff. Based on what was paid to the CEO of one of Beaumonts predecessor companies, Fox possibly stands to receive more than $30 million to sail into the Georgia sunset. The Beaumont Health System, comprised of Royal Oak, Troy, and Grosse Pointe hospitals, was far superior and the expectation was that the merger would elevate the quality of staff and patient care at the Oakwood and Botsford hospitals. A credible and competent board would have fired Fox, Wilson, and chief medical officer David Wood Jr. after internal surveys last year revealed the majority of Beaumont doctors and nurses had no confidence in them. When the Advocate Aurora deal was announced, Beaumont had a $2.5 billion cash reserve, so Advocate Aurora was essentially committing $1 billion, while retaining $1.5 billion. Beaumonts Fox doesnt take pride in the directors he is supposedly accountable to, possibly because he regards them as his subordinates. Fox that year was paid $5.9 million. Spectrum no doubt knew that Fox was desperate to unload Beaumont, so Freese Decker had him by the cajones. Eric Starkman of Los Angeles is a former Detroit News business reporter who blogs at Starkman Approved.. By Eric Starkman. That's bad news for Metro Detroit's biggest hospital system. To support Deadline Detroit's independent. Those warnings are what led Congress to approve the financial largesse that Beaumont and other hospitals benefited from. Spectrums prices are higher than Beaumonts, as the hospital network has significantly less competition in western Michigan. Its not unusual for a so-called charge or supervisory ICU nurse to have just one year of experience. Freese Decker is likely assured a big pay increase and bonus. Beaumonts flagship Royal Oak hospital only garnered a four-star rating and its other hospitals earned two-and three-star ratings. Eric Starkman of Los Angeles is a former Detroit News business reporter who blogs at Starkman Approved. I dont know how we could handle a catastrophe, said a source at Royal Oaks ER. It appears that Beaumont Health CEO John Fox won't be bundling his millions and bidding Michigan goodbye as soon as he hoped. Fox said Beaumont plans to ask for military assistance to support its other facilities. Under the terms of the deal Fox negotiated, Advocate Aurora would have taken over Beaumont and its $2.5 billion reserve without forking out a penny. Indiana University Health has 16 hospitals and 36,000 employees. Its a standard practice when companies of near comparable size combine: The company whose CEO is tapped to lead the mergedcompany agrees to have the chairman of the partner company serve as chair. As a result, patients requiring hospital admission must remain in the ER, diverting beds and staff normally dedicated to treating emergencies. Fox isnt the only hospital executive looking to exploit the perception that the unvaccinated are responsible for wreaking havoc. Support our reporting by becoming aDeadline Detroit memberfor as little as $3 per month. It isnt clear from Beaumonts stats that the hospitals Covid patients were admitted because of the disease or possibly some other serious ailments. The merger talking points for Beaumonts leaders includes a commitment to improve health equity. This from a healthcare company that at the height of the Michigan pandemic last yeartemporarilyclosed Beaumont Wayne, a hospital catering to economically disadvantaged individuals with little or no insurance. Beaumont employees and vendors are encouraged to reach out, with confidentiality assured. Companies often create diversity positions for window dressing purposes. 'The Week That Was:' Will Kristina Karamo Seriously Damage Michigan's Republican Party? This columnist, a Los Angeles freelancer, is a former Detroit News business reporter who blogs at Starkman Approved. By Eric Starkman. Getting more Americans vaccinated is widely believed the ticket to saving lives and preventing hospitals from being overrun with Covid patients at deaths door. Israel relies nearly 100 percent on Pfizer vaccines, while the U.S. also has a prevalence of Moderna and J&J vaccines. By Eric Starkman. So What? Board chair Fream, who holds a Harvard MBA, told The Detroit News that Beaumont's board used an "independent consultant" to determine Fox's compensation. Beaumont employees and vendors are encouraged to reach out, with confidentiality assured. Starkman: Electric Vehicles and the Exploitation of Michigan Taxpayers. Ohios AG has won a series, Today is indeed a historic day. Copyrightdocument.write(new Date().getFullYear());Deadline Detroit, Inc. - All Rights Reserved, Michael Freed doesn't "see any value in this merger. The rankings are based on data compiled before Beaumont Royal Oak outsourced its anesthesia services, a controversial move linked to the death of a patient undergoing a routine colonoscopy and another patient landing in the ICU because of a pain medication overdose. In addition to her Beaumont debacle, theres been considerable turnover in Spectrums senior ranks, mostly women. ", a month membership or a one-time donation, Beaumont Health's Merger Partner Reveals its Disingenuous, Deceptive and Disrespectful Nature, Spectrum Healths Black Employees Explore Class Action Lawsuit Alleging Systemic Racism, Beware! John Kerndl and Denise Waters. Seven Failed Beaumont Directors Will Serve on Board If Spectrum Merger Gets Approval, Beaumont CEO John Foxs Final FU to Detroit: Merger with Spectrum Health, Beaumont Health Chair John Lewis -- Champion of CEO John Fox -- Stepping Down in June, Beaumont Manager Moved to Sabotage Anesthetists Concerns About Critical Drug Pump Shortage, Beaumonts John Fox Set to Unload Historic Bloomfield Hills Estate, Beaumont Nurse Anesthetists at Royal Oak, Troy and Grosse Pointe Vote Overwhelmingly to Unionize, Beaumont Forces Suspension of Leader of Nurse Anesthetist Union Drive, Starkman: Why Tree Huggers Must Save This Small Town in Michigan From Ford, 'Detroit In Black And White:' Why We Got Kicked Off 910 AM, Randy Wimbley Leaving Fox 2 After a Decade on the Air. One need only look at Beaumont, an amalgamation of the Beaumont Health System, Royal Oak, Oakwood Healthcare, Dearborn, and Botsford Health Care in Farmington Hills that was created in 2014. As one source commented: Why doesnt the board just give Fox $25 million to go away?. A hospital CEO committed to the best interests of their organization and the communities it services would typically demand a premium of one times the annual revenue, meaning Spectrum should pay nearly $5 billion to take over Beaumont. The terms of the deal were so obscenely favorable to Advocate Aurora that Rep. Andy Levin, whose district includes Beaumont Royal Oak, announced he would oppose the deal. To support Deadline Detroit's independent. By Eric Starkman Beaumont Health CEO John Fox has no shame. A traditional Bachelor of Science degree in nursing is typically four years. Under Susicks leadership, Beaumont Royal Oak precipitously declined, and internally she was viewed as a Fox sycophant. That wasnt entirely true. Reach Eric Starkman at: eric@starkmanapproved.com. Spectrums board is certainly a lot tougher on compensation. Starkman: Beaumont CFO John Kerndl and Top CEO Aide Say No! Yet the Leapfrog safety rating of Henry Fords flagship hospital in Detroit is a C, while its ambulatory center in more affluent West Bloomfield enjoys an A. HFH chief Lassiter is Black, and almost half of the flagship hospitals staff is nonwhite. The nursing shortage in our state is a critical and complex challenge that must be solved with bold and collaborative solutions, the Detroit Free Press quoted Freese Decker as saying. Meet Michael Freed, decidedly among the bravest persons in . AG Dana Nessel was personally warned by Beaumont donor and former director Mark Shaevsky two years ago that Fox and his board cronies needed to be removed, but she allowed the hospital system to deteriorate, as did Michigan Gov. According to the most recently available filings, Freese Decker earned $3.9 million in 2018. (Deadline Detroit art work ), Starkman: Why Tree Huggers Must Save This Small Town in Michigan From Ford, 'Detroit In Black And White:' Why We Got Kicked Off 910 AM, Randy Wimbley Leaving Fox 2 After a Decade on the Air. It comes as no surprise that Spectrums takeover received the green light. Spectrum was targeting a $156 million operating profit. Working at Beaumont under Fox and his former COO Carolyn Wilson was a hellacious HR experience, and the pandemic worsened the situation. It marks the passing of a once great hospital system, and the creation of a giant Michigan hospital network Spectrums former CFO Michael Freed has warned could result in a massive financial loss.. Copyrightdocument.write(new Date().getFullYear());Deadline Detroit, Inc. - All Rights Reserved. He tweeted on Thursday that he was cautiously optimistic about certain aspects of the partnership. Eric Starkman of Los Angeles is a former Detroit News business reporter who blogs at Starkman Approved. 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