Freese Decker should be fired. Those warnings are what led Congress to approve the financial largesse that Beaumont and other hospitals benefited from. Although we are facing these current financial headwinds, we are confident we will continue to deliver effectively and successfully on our mission in the communities we serve in Michigan.. Most of them arent qualified to serve on the board of a major hospital company and the proof is in the Beaumont pudding. Beaumont employees and vendors are encouraged to reach out, with confidentiality assured. Disgruntled Staff. Starkman: Electric Vehicles and the Exploitation of Michigan Taxpayers. Beaumont employees and vendors are encouraged to reach out, with confidentiality assured. Eric Starkman of Los Angeles is a former Detroit News business reporter who blogs at Starkman Approved.. By Eric Starkman. Freed notes that Beaumont claims to have 300 days of cash on hand but doesnt have a top-tier bond rating allowing it to borrow money at the best rates. More importantly, I doubt that Spectrums doctors would feel the need to circumvent management in the first place. Prioritys goal is to capture as much market share as possible and then use that power to reduce what it pays to doctors to cover their services. Beaumont employees and vendors are encouraged to reach out, with confidentiality assured. Getting more Americans vaccinated is widely believed the ticket to saving lives and preventing hospitals from being overrun with Covid patients at deaths door. Lewis, the board chair, was replaced earlier this month by Julie Frehm, president and CEO of the Original Equipment Suppliers Association. Business Starkman: Bloodbath at Beaumont - COO Carolyn Wilson and Top Doctor Ousted; Chief Quality Officer Resigns Tweet Share July 22, 2021, 12:45 PM This columnist, a Los Angeles freelancer,. As best I can tell, Freese Decker is genuinely committed to forging relationships with the communities Spectrum serves, unlike Fox and his managers, many of whom dont even live in the Detroit area. Beaumont Royal Oak in the past 18 months has lost more than a dozen prominent surgeons, half of its fellowship trained anesthesiologists, more than 50 nurse anesthetists, and dozens of nurses. Studies also show that hospital mergers also result in a decline in patient care. If there was an annual award for the healthcare industrys biggest chump, I defy anyone to propose a more worthy recipient than Tina Freese Decker, CEO of Grand Rapids-based Spectrum Health. It speaks volumes that Spectrum Health CEO Tina Freese Decker and her fellow directors have chosen to get into bed with the directors who are ultimately responsible for the implosion of Beaumont Health. Copyrightdocument.write(new Date().getFullYear());Deadline Detroit, Inc. - All Rights Reserved, AG Dana Nessel and Gov. Yet the, Nessels do nothing stance on healthcare matters is in sharp contrast to her Massachusetts counterpart Maura Healey, who has moved to block the expansion of Massachusetts General Brigham on the grounds it will lead to, Former California Attorney General Xavier Becerra won a $575 million landmark settlement against Sutter Health for using the market dominance it obtained through a series of mergers to illegally drive-up prices. Its reasonable to assume the real reason for Freams elevation was the board knew Fox was close to inking a deal with a merger partner. Beaumont at one point claimed to have 38,000 employees, but with layoffs and unfilled positions its not clear how many employees remain. Freed doesnt disclose his hunch about Beaumonts financials, which received less oversight than he possibly knows. The merger rationale was that hospitals benefitted from getting bigger and achieving economies of scale. Spectrum and Beaumont are not corporate equals. Why would Beaumont nurses want to remain on staff when they can make more money working at a staffing agency? If theyre out there, theyre certainly not easy to find and, no, a few quotes about financials every quarter does not count as transparency, at least not in my book.. Fox took his marching orders from John Lewis, a retired Comerica executive who came from Oakwood and was named chairman of the combined organizations. Beaumont is awaiting approval to be rescued by Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids. Beaumont does not have a good reputation regarding how they treat employees. Beaumonts Fox doesnt take pride in the directors he is supposedly accountable to, possibly because he regards them as his subordinates. He also noted that Beaumont received Medicare advances of $505 million in 2020 that needs to be returned this year. To support Deadline Detroit's independent journalism, please sign up for a $3a month membership or a one-time donation. Newsweek Ranks 3 Beaumont Hospitals Among Best in U.S. One Down, Three to Go. 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 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. Fox cancelled the Advocate Aurora deal a few days later. Fox didnt disclose how much Beaumont will spend to fund its real estate expansion. And given the sorry state of Beaumont resulting from Foxs leadership, its an emergency rescue. As a result, patients requiring hospital admission must remain in the ER, diverting beds and staff normally dedicated to treating emergencies. 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. Copyrightdocument.write(new Date().getFullYear());Deadline Detroit, Inc. - All Rights Reserved, 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. This columnist, a Los Angeles freelancer, is a former Detroit News business reporter who blogs at Starkman Approved. Why isnt Freese Decker following through on that supposedly great initiative? Pamela Ries, senior vice president and head of HR at Spectrum, is listed as chief integration officer. Spectrums board is certainly a lot tougher on compensation. By Eric Starkman Beaumont Health CEO John Fox has no shame. Gretchen Whitmer were silent. 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 , Spectrum Moves Forward with Beaumont Takeover, Beaumont Expects Imminent FTC Approval For Spectrum Takeover Of Its Faltering Hospital System, Good News From Beaumont Hospital Network To Spend 'Significant Dollars' to Expand Private Room Capacity, Beaumont Foxs Thanks to Hospital Docs: Let Them Eat A Cookie., Beaumont Faces Threat of Nurse Anesthetists Strike Over Declining Patient Safety Standards, Bad News for Beaumont -- CEO John Fox Sticking Around Longer Than Expected, CEO John Foxs Michigan Legacy? To support Deadline Detroit's independent. By Eric Starkman . He previously concluded a deal with Akron-based Summa Health but backed out despite already having received regulatory approval. Freed is seemingly unaware of how desperate Beaumont CEO John Fox is to find a merger partner and complete the sale before year-end. His latest story for DeadlineDetroit.com shows that high ranking executives are being let go in advance of the proposed merger with Grand Rapids based Spectrum Health. Beaumont employees and vendors are encouraged to reach out, with confidentiality assured. Beaumont employees and vendors are encouraged to reach out, with confidentiality assured. The situation has become so acute that an ICU patient was recently treated in Troys ER. Beaumont employees and vendors are encouraged to reach out, with confidentiality assured. Despite the pandemic, which has forced Spectrum to call for military assistance to support its flagship hospital, CEO Tina Freese Decker recently disclosed that shes been focused on integrating Spectrum and Beaumont, creating Michigans biggest hospital system as well as the biggest employer. Beaumont Beaumont employees and vendors are encouraged to reach out, with confidentiality assured. To support Deadline Detroit's independent journalism, please sign up for a $3a month membership or a one-time donation. That wasnt entirely true. In another example of how Freese Decker is just like John Fox in looking to deceive and distract, Spectrum announced it will provide Oakland University with $20 million over the next five years for a Beaumont Health Nurse Scholar Program. One of the deciding factors in evaluating merging Beaumont and Spectrum will be the financial terms of the deal. Beaumont is a crippled hospital network on management life support. Consultants are part of the . Eric Starkman of Los Angeles is a former Detroit News business reporter who blogs at Starkman Approved. Spectrum no doubt knew that Fox was desperate to unload Beaumont, so Freese Decker had him by the cajones. Ohios AG has won a series of landmark settlements taking on healthcare companies. Spectrums takeover must be approved by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and the Federal Trade Commission. However, Beaumont Royal Oak is one of the busiest surgical centers in the country. Starkman: Beaumont's FU to Metro Detroit and its Covid-19 Workers Tweet. They are looking at diversity as a numbers game. Starkman: Electric Vehicles and the Exploitation of Michigan Taxpayers. The only aspect of the deal worth cheering about is that Fox will finally be removed from Beaumont, but the company shouldnt have to lose its independence to make that happen. That Fox, who along with Wilson has shown they have no commitment to southeastern Michigan, was allowed to negotiate Beaumonts fate underscores just what an irresponsible disgrace Beaumonts board is. Fox disclosed that Beaumont has extensively expanded its use of nurse staffing agencies, which could exacerbate already poor morale among its nurses. Beaumont Troy is a Level II and must also be prepared to handle a wide range of emergencies. The reason Royal Oaks ER, Beaumonts flagship hospital, is often operating at 60 percent capacity because it doesnt have sufficient staff. 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. Starkman: Electric Vehicles and the Exploitation of Michigan Taxpayers. A traditional Bachelor of Science degree in nursing is typically four years. In its announcement to employees, Beaumont said the merged company will maintain dual headquarters in Southfield and Grand Rapids, an economically inefficient move if true but it likely isnt. In a September letter to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel warning about Beaumonts implosion, Shaevsky spoke of the need for independent directors to bring some stability to the organization.. September 15, 2020, 9:36 PM . Despite Freeds damning allegations, Beaumont spokesman Mark Geary ignored a request for comment. So What? Understandably, Spectrum is a more profitable hospital system, but its profits also are bolstered by its lucrative Priority Health insurance arm. The quality of care has declined to such a degree that insiders readily admit they wouldnt entrust their families care to the hospital. Spectrum reported that Beaumont's operations already have racked up nearly $100 million in losses. Spectrum and Beaumont announced today that they are moving forward with Spectrums takeover, having provided the applicable regulatory agencies with all requested information. The deadline apparently has passed for the Federal Trade Commission to challenge the deal. That's bad news for Metro Detroit's biggest hospital system. The once proud and respected hospital system merged with two lesser ones in 2015, paving the way for Fox, who was determined to sell Beaumont from the moment he arrived. It appears that Beaumont Health CEO John Fox won't be bundling his millions and bidding Michigan goodbye as soon as he hoped. By Eric Starkman Beaumont Health CEO John Fox has no shame. As of this writing, Freeds letter received 40 likes and other shows of support, and not a single criticism. They say waits extending six hours and beyond stem from a chronic shortage of inpatient nurses thats forced the closing of various wards. On Thursday he posted an open letteron his LinkedIn page to Spectrums board implicitly questioning Beaumont Health's financials and warning that merging with the Southfield-based hospital network is ill advised. The financial terms of the deal will reveal whether Freese Decker is as touchy-feely as she appears or whether she can be quite ruthless when a lucrative financial opportunity presents itself. An additional director will also be named. Freese Decker grabbed the brass ring, but it was badly tarnished. That would mean there wouldnt be one senior executive from Beaumont involved in the management of the combined hospital systems. Though Spectrum Health is a respectable hospital network run by a management and board deeply committed to the Grand Rapids area, the evidence is overwhelming that southeastern Michigan residents wont ultimately benefit from the deal. ", 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! By Eric Starkman John Fox, the Atlanta carpetbagger who washed up on the shores of southeastern Michigan seven years ago to bolster Beaumont Health's profits and gussy up Metro Detroit's. According to the most recently available filings, Freese Decker earned $3.9 million in 2018. Allowing them to continue profiting from their mismanagement would undermine Spectrum managements credibility from the get-go. Beaumont CFO John Kerndl Resigns, Beaumont Nurse Anesthetists Union Drive Could Save Imploding Hospital from Further Demise, Layoffs. In his letter, Freed expresses concern that seven Beaumont directors will be named to the combined Spectrum-Beaumont board and that they could ultimately exert undue influence. Fox in January also disclosed that Beaumont planned to spend significant dollars to embark on a three to five-year plan to expand the health systems private bed capacity. Far from it. In June of last year Fox announced he planned to merge Beaumont into Advocate Aurora, a Chicago-based hospital network whose CEO was on record as having insatiableambitious plans. Spectrumreportedthat Beaumonts operations already have racked up nearly $100 million in losses. The Royal Oak budget cuts were made in 2020, when Beaumont increased its reserves to $3.5 billion from $2.5 billion and Fox earlier in the year warned U.S. hospitals could collapse because of the pandemic. Beaumont Royal Oak is a Level I regional hospital, which according to the American Trauma Society means it is required to have 24/7 staffing available to provide total care for every aspect of injury from prevention through rehabilitation. Carey has spent more than 20 years as a . Freese Decker held various strategic and operational roles before being named to the top job in 2018. Its near impossible to put a positive spin on a critical and passionate letter written by a former top executive who played a major role transforming Spectrum into a western Michigan powerhouse. Eric Starkman of Los Angeles is a former Detroit News business reporter who blogs at Starkman Approved.. By Eric Starkman. Under Susicks leadership, Beaumont Royal Oak precipitously declined, and internally she was viewed as a Fox sycophant. 'The Week That Was:' Will Kristina Karamo Seriously Damage Michigan's Republican Party? Those workforce headwinds should have been known to Freese Decker well before she took over Beaumont. Ohios AG has won a series, Today is indeed a historic day. The nurse anesthetists at Beaumont Royal Oak, Troy and Grosse Pointe hospitals, who are critical to keeping their facilities' lucrative surgery businesses humming, are mad as hell and aren't going to take it anymore. In addition to her Beaumont debacle, theres been considerable turnover in Spectrums senior ranks, mostly women. Reach Eric Starkman at: eric@starkmanapproved.com. Beaumont CEO John Fox is headed for the door Friday. Beaumont is having difficulty attracting mid- and lower-level employees as well. And there is no mention of what, if any, role Beaumont COO Carolyn Wilson will play after the merger. Share. Other state attorney generals have also shown a willingness to take on the powerful interests of U.S. hospital companies. The anesthesiologists did this while earning a fraction of their . Former California Attorney General Xavier Becerra won a $575 million landmark settlement against Sutter Health for using the market dominance it obtained through a series of mergers to illegally drive-up prices. Said a veteran Troy ER source: Ive never seen anything like this in all my years of nursing. Hospital plans are designed to incentivize doctors not to order or recommend expensive procedures in order to reduce payouts. 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. Beaumont Troy also operates at a reduced capacity. Various studies, including one published in 2019 by Harvard researchers, also show that hospital mergers result in worsened patient experiences. The combined Spectrum and Beaumont operations will temporarily be called BHSH System. Southeastern Michigan residents shouldnt look to Rep. Andy Levin to save the day. The writer, a Los Angeles freelancer, is a former Detroit News business reporter who blogs atStarkman Approved. If (Beaumonts) operating margins are adequate, and they have plenty of cash, whats the problem? Under Freese Deckers leadership, Spectrum experienced considerable turnover of its Black employees, some of whom approached an attorney to explore whether they had cause to file a discrimination lawsuit. Shows of support, and they have plenty of cash, whats problem. To remain on staff when they can make more money working at a staffing agency state! A historic day employees remain turnover in Spectrums senior Ranks, mostly women Fox is headed the. 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