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.. Reach the writer ateric@starkmanapproved.com. The reason Royal Oaks ER, Beaumonts flagship hospital, is often operating at 60 percent capacity because it doesnt have sufficient staff. 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.. I'm officially declaring Beaumont CEO John Fox, the Atlanta carpetbagger whose greed and mismanagement destroyed Metro Detroit's biggest hospital system and put the health and safety of areas residents at risk, "The Cookie Monster." Susick fired Royal Oaks highly regarded and very much beloved head of pediatrics after he protested budget cuts that he argued would harm patient care. 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. Beaumont Health was significantly impacted by these financial and workforce headwinds that were particularly strong in Southeast Michigan (in the second quarter). Spectrum no doubt knew that Fox was desperate to unload Beaumont, so Freese Decker had him by the cajones. Fox, who owns homes in Atlanta and North Carolina, cant be bothered to even create the appearance that he cares about Beaumonts future. Spectrums financial statements indicate that cash and investments from the acquisition was $3.2 billion. 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. Beaumont Dearborn also is receiving military assistance to help the hospital manage its Covid patient load. For years, former Beaumont CEO John Fox was paid more than $6 million annually because of his supposedly deft fiscal management. 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. Most of Foxs senior management team has departed, and hes expected to leave once the takeover is completed and he receives the millions of dollars likely owed to him under his golden parachute agreement. Those warnings are what led Congress to approve the financial largesse that Beaumont and other hospitals benefited from. His chief marketing officer resigned last September, his CFO quit in March, his chief compliance officer left a few weeks ago, and his chief revenue officer is out the door in a few days. In addition to lacking a CFO and chief compliance officer, Beaumont has yet to find a replacement for its chief marketing officer, who left last September. Starkman: Beware! According to one source, Beaumont at least until recently had more than 3,000 job openings. Starkman: Electric Vehicles and the Exploitation of Michigan Taxpayers. The merger could still fall apart if Spectrum has a top-notch duediligence team. Spectrums board includes Doug DeVos, co-chair of Amway, whose family is among the most powerful in Michigan. Its a vicious cycle, one that I doubt Spectrum has figured out how to solve. Copyrightdocument.write(new Date().getFullYear());Deadline Detroit, Inc. - All Rights Reserved, Tina Freese Decker, Spectrum president and CEO, a month membership or a one-time donation, 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, Andy Levin Goes After Amazon's Union Busting in Alabama, but Silent About Beaumont. Underscoring Beaumonts disregard for transparency, the company routinely waits till the very last day before filing its Form 990, a document nonprofits are required to make public revealing compensation and other critical information. 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.. Add in a staffing shortage, and you have a perfect storm," Fox said in a news release, urging Detroit-area residents to avoid Beaumont emergency rooms for all but critical care treatments. 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. As often happens when you meld two organizations, the weaker one brings the stronger one down. If (Beaumonts) operating margins are adequate, and they have plenty of cash, whats the problem? Spectrums four-person communications team also ignored a request for comment. As an example of their power and influence, they have managed to derail enforcement of rules the Trump Administration issued requiring hospitals to be transparent about their prices. A Grand Rapids television station revealed that operating room OBGYN doctors were posting photos on social media of them holding up surgically removed organ and tissue material as part of a game they likened to The Price Is Right. The report by NBC affiliate WOODis a classic worth watching because the reporter cant believe what shes actually reporting. They are looking at diversity as a numbers game. Starkman: Electric Vehicles and the Exploitation of Michigan Taxpayers. To support Deadline Detroit's independent. Henry Ford in Detroit in years past enjoyed an A safety rating. So What? A trade publication quoted Freese Decker today as saying theres widespread enthusiasm in western and southeastern Michigan for the merger. That would mean it will take at least five years for Spectrums nurse program to bear fruit, so it wont do anything to alleviate the current nursing shortage. Naming Fream as chairman was done for optics, an attempt to assure Southeastern Michigan residents that their interests would be protected if Spectrum and Beaumont merge. 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 does not have a good reputation regarding how they treat employees. Despite Freeds damning allegations, Beaumont spokesman Mark Geary ignored a request for comment. Today is indeed a historic day. Reach Eric Starkman at: eric@starkmanapproved.com. At Beaumont's Royal Oak, Troy, and Grosse Pointe hospitals an elite team of more than 70 anesthesiologists trained and experienced with intubation performed all the procedures. Beaumonts Fox doesnt take pride in the directors he is supposedly accountable to, possibly because he regards them as his subordinates. 'The Week That Was:' Will Kristina Karamo Seriously Damage Michigan's Republican Party? Confidentiality is assured. Beaumont derailed the effort after spending nearly $2 million on union busters, furthering ill will among its nurses. This is a good time to give a shoutout to former Beaumont chair John Lewis, who at the end of the day bears the greatest responsibility for the hospital systems decline. The FTC is headed by Lina Khan, a Democrat appointed by Biden and sworn in last June 15 to a three-year term. But ER nurses are angry with Melissa Foreman Lovell, Troys chief nursing officer, who they say rarely appears at the hospital. The Chief People Officer position is listed as open, indicating that Ries isnt getting the top HR job at BHSH. Spectrums prices are higher than Beaumonts, as the hospital network has significantly less competition in western Michigan. The Detroit News. Beaumonts board failed in their duties overseeing the hospital system they were responsible for protecting. Is that still on track given Beaumonts oceans of red ink? Spectrum was projecting a loss of $57.1 million, which also is an eye-opening surprise. Beaumonts flagship Royal Oak hospital only garnered a four-star rating and its other hospitals earned two-and three-star ratings. Starkman: Beaumont's FU to Metro Detroit and its Covid-19 Workers Tweet. No doubt the pot of cash is the bait that got the merger talks going. Given that a survey of Beaumont doctors revealed last year they had no confidence in Fox, Wilson, and chief medical officer David Wood Jr., recruiting top quality executives to Beaumont is a near impossible challenge with Fox and Wilson at the helm. Starkman: Electric Vehicles and the Exploitation of Michigan Taxpayers. That Fream will serve as chair of the board overseeing a combined Spectrum and Beaumont is a disgrace and underscores Michigans poor leadership. The resignations were due to working conditions and management dissatisfaction, not Covid. 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. Virtually all of Fox's senior management team resigned or was . Beaumont employees and vendors are encouraged to reach out, with confidentiality assured. Copyrightdocument.write(new Date().getFullYear());Deadline Detroit, Inc. - All Rights Reserved, AG Dana Nessel and Gov. 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. This columnist, a Los Angeles freelancer, is a former Detroit News business reporter who blogs atStarkman Approved. In quickly reviewing Spectrums website and news releases, I can't find evidence that Freese Decker has expressed the belief that Spectrum needed to achieve considerable size to survive and remain competitive. However, Beaumont Royal Oak is one of the busiest surgical centers in the country. 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. In a major blow to the hospital, Reza Dabir, Dearborns top cardiothoracic surgeon, resigned to join Ascension Health. Its totally bizarre.. A responsible attorney general would have removed Fox, board chair Julie Fream, and the other Beaumont directors who stood idly by a long time ago. 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. BHSH is what Spectrum calls its combined Beaumont and Spectrum operations. The merger rationale was that hospitals benefitted from getting bigger and achieving economies of scale. 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. He previously concluded a deal with Akron-based Summa Health but backed out despite already having received regulatory approval. Also, if you wish to support Deadline Detroit's. Its a no-brainer to understand why Fox desperately needs to pull off the Spectrum merger. 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. It should give Grand Rapids residents cold shivers that the chair of Spectrum is Julie Fream, who was vice chair of Beaumont when Fox destroyed the hospital system's once nationally vaunted reputation. Beaumont employees and vendors are encouraged to reach out, with confidentiality assured. Spectrum reported that Beaumont's operations already have racked up nearly $100 million in losses. In addition to her Beaumont debacle, theres been considerable turnover in Spectrums senior ranks, mostly women. Share. Working at Beaumont under Fox and his former COO Carolyn Wilson was a hellacious HR experience, and the pandemic worsened the situation. It comes as no surprise that Spectrums takeover received the green light. These contracted doctors also were responsible for setting up a Covid-19 ICU unit at Beaumont Troy. 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. The writer, a Los Angeles freelancer, is a former Detroit News business reporter who blogs at Starkman Approved. Financially, the pandemic was very good to Beaumont, as the hospital system pocketed an additional $1 billion for its $2.5 billion reserve kitty while furloughing and terminating hundreds of employees. There is compelling research showing that hospital mergers result in higher patient costs and reduced quality of care. Fox said Beaumonts lack of private rooms is a large critical area that has haunted us for decades. He said a comprehensive expansion plan would be finalized by year-end. Various studies, including one published in 2019 by Harvard researchers, also show that hospital mergers result in worsened patient experiences. Beaumonts leadership page only features a photo and bio of Julie Fream, who on paper at least seems credible: Fream is the president and CEO of the Original Equipment Suppliers Association, an industry nonprofit, and she has a Harvard MBA. Beaumont Beaumont employees and vendors are encouraged to reach out, with confidentiality assured. Fox cancelled the Advocate Aurora deal a few days later. Freese Decker held various strategic and operational roles before being named to the top job in 2018. Joseph Hill, who was hired to be diversity chief at Hermann Health System in Houston, was fired even before starting his job allegedly because he had already identified racial bias at the hospital. According to an email obtained by the Detroit TV station, Beaumont transferred its Covid patients because the CEO said the hospital system was losing too much money treating them. ", 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! Craig's guest is Eric Starkman, Deadline Detroit contributor and author of the blog Starkman Approved. Fox didnt disclose how much Beaumont will spend to fund its real estate expansion. I expect Fox to promote the deal as a merger of equals and its possible the Beaumont name could be retained in some capacity, but dont be fooled: The combination is Foxs Hail Mary attempt to cash out and distract from the extensive damage his leadership has caused. Spectrumreportedthat Beaumonts operations already have racked up nearly $100 million in losses. The insurance business is among the most profitable sectors in healthcare, but as anyone who has dealt with one of these companies know, their priority is profits, not patient care. She never followed up with a comment. Beaumont CEO John Fox is headed for the door Friday. By Eric Starkman Beaumont Health CEO John Fox has no shame. By Eric Starkman. To support Deadline Detroit's independent. With regards to healthcare, Nessel is a do-nothing attorney general who has stood idly by as Fox drove Beaumont into the ground and is expected to rubber stamp Spectrums takeover. A merger of Spectrum and Beaumont must be approved by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who has shown no interest in championing healthcare issues and can be counted on to rubber stamp the deal. Beaumont is having difficulty attracting mid- and lower-level employees as well. By comparison, BHSH will have 22 hospitals and 64,000 employees. 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