The good news is that Beaumont isnt overrun with critically ill Covid patients, which suggests that vaccines are doing what they were intended to do: Prevent people who contract the disease from becoming critically ill and dying. Beaumonts John Fox Is Laughing All the Way to the Bank, Beaumont Nurse Anesthetists Move to Unionize to Combat 'Unsafe' Staffing Conditions, Avoid Beaumont Like the Plague,' Warns Podiatrist Who Underwent an Endoscopy at Royal Oak Hospital, Metro Detroit Mourns Passing of 'Gentle Soul' Richard Curbelo, Medical Examiner Conducted Autopsy of Beaumont Colonoscopy Patient After Concern Raised, Remembering Richard Curbelo Who Died Undergoing Beaumont Colonoscopy, Beaumont Hospital Staffers Horrified After Patient Dies During Routine Colonoscopy, Ostriches On Beaumont Health's Board Belong at the Detroit Zoo, Henry Ford's Wright Lassiter Puts Beaumont's John Fox to Shame, Beaumont's Demise Assured as Board Ignores Calls for CEO's Firing, Prominent Beaumont Cardiologist Calls Out CEO John Fox for Deception, AG Nessel Reaffirms She's Do Nothing Dana' on Healthcare. 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. According to the most recently available filings, Freese Decker earned $3.9 million in 2018. If (Beaumonts) operating margins are adequate, and they have plenty of cash, whats the problem? To support Deadline Detroit's independent. 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. Even Beaumont employees suffering from myopia can read this writing . Beaumonts Fox doesnt take pride in the directors he is supposedly accountable to, possibly because he regards them as his subordinates. Spectrums board is certainly a lot tougher on compensation. 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,. (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. Starkman: Beaumont's Woes Prove CEO Tina Freese Decker Unfit to Run Michigan's Biggest Hospital System Tweet Share August 19, 2022, 3:14 PM The writer, a Los Angeles freelancer and former. In his video, Fox was wearing a pinstripe suit jacket, not his trademark blue blazer. Spectrums four-person communications team also ignored a request for comment. Not a situation one would expect given that Freese Decker said her biggest priority was building a health system that celebrates and reinforces diversity and inclusion.. The writer, a Los Angeles freelancer, is a former Detroit News business reporter who blogs atStarkman Approved. Wright Lassiter III, president and CEO of Henry Ford Health System, is chair of the AHA. Based on Foxs history, its quite possible it will be terms that most benefit him. As a result, patients requiring hospital admission must remain in the ER, diverting beds and staff normally dedicated to treating emergencies. In Dearborn, the nursing shortage is so acute that an ICU operates at 60 percent capacity. Beaumont employees and vendors are encouraged to reach out, with confidentiality assured. He said the expansion would involve a lot of local planning in terms of where these bed towers are located, which seemingly indicates that Beaumont is planning to expand its real estate footprint. And there is no mention of what, if any, role Beaumont COO Carolyn Wilson will play after the merger. The merger could still fall apart if Spectrum has a top-notch duediligence team. Freese Decker grabbed the brass ring, but it was badly tarnished. A responsible board would have fired Fox months ago and brought in an interim CEO with strong ties to southeastern Michigan to try and stabilize the place. If the proposed merger goes through, seven Beaumont board members will serve on the board of the combined companies. The Detroit News. Despite these challenges, our team members continued to provide nationally recognized health care and we were able to make new investments in the market and bring on new talent, Spectrum said. Despite Freeds damning allegations, Beaumont spokesman Mark Geary ignored a request for comment. Copyrightdocument.write(new Date().getFullYear());Deadline Detroit, Inc. - All Rights Reserved, a month membership or a one-time donation, 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. Fox previously disclosed he talked to more than 100 hospital systems hoping to find a corporate bride for Beaumont. Thats how Beaumont ended up in the sorry state that it did. 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. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel could also have moved to block the Spectrum deal or demanded certain concessions, but she has proven to be a regulatory lightweight, particularly on matters relating to healthcare. The head of Beaumonts audit committee was Julie Fream, who earlier this month became the hospital networks chair and has no auditing experience or background listed on her LinkedIn page. 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. 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. Beaumont employees and vendors are encouraged to reach out, with confidentiality assured. This columnist, a Los Angeles freelancer, is a former Detroit News business reporter who blogs at Starkman Approved.. By Eric Starkman. Nursing shortages are causing havoc at other Beaumont hospitals as well. 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. According to one source, Beaumont at least until recently had more than 3,000 job openings. Beaumont, consistent with its practice of putting a spin on undesirable news, notified employees that it is making "good progress" toward . The metric that matters most is quality of patient care. Fox has blamed the pandemic for Beaumonts HR problems, but the issues predated Covid. 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. Its not unusual for a so-called charge or supervisory ICU nurse to have just one year of experience. Starkman: Electric Vehicles and the Exploitation of Michigan Taxpayers. 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. Fox and spinmeister Geary have a history of making statements that are deceptive and misleading, a compilation of which can be found here. Eric Starkman of Los Angeles is a former Detroit News business reporter who blogs at Starkman Approved. Lewis, the board chair, was replaced earlier this month by Julie Frehm, president and CEO of the Original Equipment Suppliers Association. He's even willing to. Beaumont CEO Fox and COO Wilson Must Go Now! 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. Understandably, Spectrum is a more profitable hospital system, but its profits also are bolstered by its lucrative Priority Health insurance arm. No one from southeastern Michigan has emerged promising to hold Julie Fream and other Beaumont directors who supported Fox accountable for the harm theyve caused Metro Detroit residents. In addition to her Beaumont debacle, theres been considerable turnover in Spectrums senior ranks, mostly women. The merger rationale was that hospitals benefitted from getting bigger and achieving economies of scale. There are no bios or photos of Beaumonts other directors, and thats by intent. 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.. Starkman: Beware! According to a source, some travel nurses are being paid lucrative wages to work only three or four shifts a week. A lifelong Michigander with an impressive background, Barbee resigned in October to join Indiana University Health as head of HR. Support our reporting and commentary by becoming a Deadline Detroit member for as little as $3 per month. Why isnt Freese Decker following through on that supposedly great initiative? The release, which Fream presumably signed off on, said her appointment was part of a normal governance leadership rotational process.. 'The Week That Was:' Will Kristina Karamo Seriously Damage Michigan's Republican Party? 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. By Eric Starkman. The expansion is apromising sign that Spectrum is willing to commit money and resources to expand and upgrade Beaumonts facilities and reverse the decline the hospital system has suffered from Foxs extensive cost-cutting during his seven-year reign. Eric Starkman of Los Angeles is a former Detroit News business reporter who blogs at Starkman Approved.. By Eric Starkman. An additional director will also be named. Fox is about 70, and given his failed performance, it was a given that he wouldn't lead the combined Spectrum Beaumont entity. But ER nurses are angry with Melissa Foreman Lovell, Troys chief nursing officer, who they say rarely appears at the hospital. Reach Eric Starkman at: eric@starkmanapproved.com. Eight will come from Spectrum, including Freese. 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. 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. 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. This columnist, a Los Angeles freelancer, is a former Detroit News business reporter who blogs atStarkman Approved. Speaking of Oakland University, when Fox announced his ill-fated attempt to merge Beaumont into Chicago-based Advocate Aurora, one of the few benefits he touted was that Advocate Aurora had agreed to move Oakland Universitys William Beaumont School of Medicine to Beaumonts Royal Oak campus. 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. Henry Ford in Detroit in years past enjoyed an A safety rating. Under Susicks leadership, Beaumont Royal Oak precipitously declined, and internally she was viewed as a Fox sycophant. What, if any, role Wilson will play after the merger hasnt been disclosed. 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. 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. 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. Spectrums prices are higher than Beaumonts, as the hospital network has significantly less competition in western Michigan. Beaumont institutionally has a very tenuous relationship with truth. That's bad news for Metro Detroit's biggest hospital . Though a far cry from what Beaumont Health was before CEO John Fox and COO Carolyn Wilson arrived, Spectrum is a quality healthcare company overseen by a responsible board comprised of directors who are pillars of western Michigans business communities. Freese Decker cant say she wasnt warned. Israel relies nearly 100 percent on Pfizer vaccines, while the U.S. also has a prevalence of Moderna and J&J vaccines. Also fostering ill will is Beaumonts mandate requiring that all employees be vaccinated or be fired. Freese Decker this week toured Beaumont Troy Hospital, and notably neither Fox nor COO Carolyn Wilson were in tow. Starkman: Beaumont CFO John Kerndl and Top CEO Aide Say No! Travel nurses are also required to oversee only four patients at a time and are exempted from having to transport patients to other areas of the hospital. Eric Starkman of Los Angeles is a former Detroit News business reporter who blogs at Starkman Approved. Beaumont is awaiting approval to be rescued by Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids. Spectrum also experienced considerable turnover of Black employees, some of whom considered filing a class action lawsuit . Under their oversight, Beaumont suffered a precipitous decline in reputation and quality of care. It seems unlikely that Beaumont would embark on a major expansion without the input and signoff of Spectrum, which is awaiting regulatory approval to take over the faltering Southfield-based hospital system. 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. Copyrightdocument.write(new Date().getFullYear());Deadline Detroit, Inc. - All Rights Reserved. Spectrums due diligence team will be unable to get clarifications on Beaumonts financials from the companys CFO because it doesnt have one. Spectrum spokeswoman Ellen Bristol Wednesday morning said she would look into whether a merger was imminent, seeming to indicate Deadline Detroits inquiry was the first shed heard of a potential deal. Reach Eric Starkman at: eric@starkmanapproved.com. Confidentiality is assured. Most of them arent qualified to serve on the board of a major hospital company and the proof is in the Beaumont pudding. 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. Making statements that are deceptive and misleading, a compilation of which can found... Neither Fox nor COO Carolyn Wilson will play after the merger could still fall apart if Spectrum has a tenuous! 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