Lewis, the board chair, was replaced earlier this month by Julie Frehm, president and CEO of the Original Equipment Suppliers Association. Starkman: Electric Vehicles and the Exploitation of Michigan Taxpayers. The Freep quoted Oakland University dean of nursing Judy Didion as saying it will take about a year to build the infrastructure until the school can begin to admit additional students. 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. Most of them arent qualified to serve on the board of a major hospital company and the proof is in the Beaumont pudding. Bloomberg on Wednesday posted an editorial warning about the growing merger trend among hospitals, noting that it leads to higher insurance prices. Fox, who has already been paid more than $20 million in compensation since joining Beaumont in 2016, potentially stands to earn tens of millions more if regulators approve Spectrums takeover. Nurses employed by staffing agencies are paid more than staff nurses performing the same functions. The FTC is headed by Lina Khan, a Democrat appointed by Biden and sworn in last June 15 to a three-year term. In a company video posted on Vimeo Thursday, Beaumont CEO John Fox disclosed that Beaumont plans to spend significant dollars to embark on a three to five-year plan to expand the health systems private bed capacity. Spectrum was targeting a $156 million operating profit. Beaumont at one point claimed to have 38,000 employees, but with layoffs and unfilled positions its not clear how many employees remain. 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. Copyrightdocument.write(new Date().getFullYear());Deadline Detroit, Inc. - All Rights Reserved. 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. The writer, a Los Angeles freelancer, is a former Detroit News business reporter who . But Beaumonts release last month announcing her elevation to chair to replace John Lewis provides some insight. How Absurd. 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." Spectrum CEO Tina Freese Decker obviously believes the Beaumont merger is already a done deal. The resignations were due to working conditions and management dissatisfaction, not Covid. By Eric Starkman. The promised dual headquarters was also BS. Reach Eric Starkman at: eric@starkmanapproved.com. Under their oversight, Beaumont suffered a precipitous decline in reputation and quality of care. Under Susicks leadership, Beaumont Royal Oak precipitously declined, and internally she was viewed as a Fox sycophant. Freese Decker grabbed the brass ring, but it was badly tarnished. He also noted that Beaumont received Medicare advances of $505 million in 2020 that needs to be returned this year. These contracted doctors also were responsible for setting up a Covid-19 ICU unit at Beaumont Troy. 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. Freed has vowed he will hold Spectrums directors accountable for the repercussions to his Grand Rapids community. The evidence is overwhelming that when hospitals merge, prices go up. Reach Eric Starkman at: eric@starkmanapproved.com. This columnist, a Los Angeles freelancer, is a former Detroit News business reporter who blogs atStarkman Approved. It is said that you can judge a person by the company they keep. Beaumont spokesman Mark Geary ignored a request for comment, which he typically does. That wasnt entirely true. 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 employees and vendors are encouraged to reach out, with confidentiality assured. Beaumont derailed the effort after spending nearly $2 million on union busters, furthering ill will among its nurses. Is that still on track given Beaumonts oceans of red ink? (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. 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. 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. ", 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! About a half dozen of Freams former board cronies also serve on the Spectrum board, once entirely controlled by Grand Rapids and western Michigan-based residents. The writer, a Los Angeles freelancer, is a former Detroit News business reporter who blogs atStarkman Approved. Henry Ford Hospital announced this week that it was closing 120 inpatient beds systemwide due to staffing shortages. Companies often create diversity positions for window dressing purposes. Freed doesnt disclose his hunch about Beaumonts financials, which received less oversight than he possibly knows. Starkman: Beaumont CFO John Kerndl and Top CEO Aide Say No! 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. Beaumonts flagship Royal Oak hospital only garnered a four-star rating and its other hospitals earned two-and three-star ratings. Beaumont CEO Fox and COO Wilson Must Go Now! 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. Allowing them to continue profiting from their mismanagement would undermine Spectrum managements credibility from the get-go. This columnist, a Los Angeles freelancer, is a former Detroit News business reporter who blogs at Starkman Approved.. By Eric Starkman. 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. My sense about Spectrum is that if doctors had serious patient safety concerns and felt the need to circumvent management to get them addressed, the hospital companys board would take the matter quite seriously. Reach Eric Starkman at: eric@starkmanapproved.com. Eric Starkman of Los Angeles is a former Detroit News business reporter who blogs at Starkman Approved.. By Eric Starkman. Beaumont Troy also operates at a reduced capacity. That resulted in Beaumont staff nurses working alongside nurses getting paid considerably more money doing the same job, prompting more staff nurses to leave. To be sure, Beaumont isnt alone in suffering from a nursing shortage. The FTC decision to implicitly rubber stamp Spectrums takeover underscores the weakness of President Bidens leadership and the little respect he commands, even among his own appointees. Ohios AG has won a series of landmark settlements taking on healthcare companies. Spectrums board strikes me as pretty buttoned up, so they might not yet appreciate the extent of how damaged Beaumont really is. 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. Support our reporting and commentary by becoming a Deadline Detroit member for as little as $3 per month. 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. 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. Another open position is the Chief Inclusion, Equity, Diversity and Social Impact Officer.. Freese Decker cant say she wasnt warned. Beaumont, consistent with its practice of putting a spin on undesirable news, notified employees that it is making "good progress" toward . The American Hospital Association (AHA), the trade group focused on promoting the financial interests of nonprofit hospitals and their managements, is a major lobbying force in Washington. 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,. Moreover, rookie nurses still have a lot to learn. More importantly, I doubt that Spectrums doctors would feel the need to circumvent management in the first place. After posting his letter, Freed noted on his LinkedIn page that Beaumont made $167 million from its operations in 2020, which included revenue recognition of $349 million from the CARES Act and FEMA payments for Covid. Even Beaumont employees suffering from myopia can read this writing . 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. 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. The nursing scholarship wont alleviate Spectrums immediate nurse staffing issues. Why would Beaumont nurses want to remain on staff when they can make more money working at a staffing agency? I know little about Fream, who served as Beaumonts vice chair for several years. Combining Spectrum with Beaumont would be akin to Target, whose management is respected and its brand has a loyal following, merging with Macys, a troubled chain whose flagship store in midtown Manhattan has lost its luster much like Beaumont Royal Oak. Eric Starkman of Los Angeles is a former Detroit News business reporter who blogs at Starkman Approved. The deal, which was announced Thursday, is still subject to various regulatory approvals. Less readily understood is why Spectrum would want to do a deal. Starkman: Beaumont's FU to Metro Detroit and its Covid-19 Workers Tweet. Eric Starkman of Los Angeles is a former Detroit News business reporter who blogs at Starkman Approved. That amounts to a Spectrum takeover in my book. 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. In his video, Fox was wearing a pinstripe suit jacket, not his trademark blue blazer. BHSH will be the biggest hospital network in Michigan and the states biggest employer. They say waits extending six hours and beyond stem from a chronic shortage of inpatient nurses thats forced the closing of various wards. 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. Lina Khan of the Federal Trade Commission, Hospital prices in southeastern Michigan are among the lowest in the country, so one would have to be incredibly nave to believe Spectrums claim that its takeover will lead to more affordable care. Freed was CFO of Grand Rapids-based Spectrum Health for nearly 19 years, and later headed the hospital companys lucrative Priority Health insurance arm for six years. They are looking at diversity as a numbers game. Beaumont CEO John Fox will forever be remembered in the Detroit area as a con man. 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. Starkman: Why Beaumont's John Fox Could Haul More Than $30 Million Back to Atlanta Tweet Share February 02, 2022, 4:58 PM Beaumont CEO John Fox The writer, a Los Angeles freelancer, is a. Freese Deckers bio said her biggest priority is building a health system that celebrates and reinforces diversity and inclusion for employees, patients, families, and members. Yet the entire BHSH senior management team as best I can tell is as lily white as a loaf of Wonder bread. 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. The situation has become so acute that an ICU patient was recently treated in Troys ER. 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. That could further worsen Beaumonts nursing shortage. Spectrum also experienced considerable turnover of Black employees, some of whom considered filing a class action lawsuit . Spectrum CEO Tina Freese Decker will lead the combined company. Spectrum reported that Beaumont's operations already have racked up nearly $100 million in losses. As of this writing, Freeds letter received 40 likes and other shows of support, and not a single criticism. 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