Detroit Medical Center and Wayne State University Physician Group Reach Agreement on Clinical Care

September 26, 2018 – Detroit, MI - The Detroit Medical Center (DMC), a Tenet Healthcare hospital system, and Wayne State University Physician Group (WSUPG) today announced that they have reached a new five-year agreement designed to significantly strengthen access to high-quality care for Detroit-area patients.

Under the agreement, WSUPG physicians will continue to provide patients with clinical care for select adult services and fill select medical leadership roles for DMC. Based in DMC hospitals and affiliated facilities, WSUPG’s more than 300 physicians provide Detroit-area patients with leading clinical care options for adult patients across a wide range of specialty areas.

The agreement includes numerous provisions and structural elements to strengthen care for patients in the community and provide benefits to each organization, including:

• The collaboration is structured around a new operating model, including performance-based metrics designed to achieve the best outcomes for patients and enhanced access to care for the community. These metrics encompass a range of key care and quality indicators, such as patient readmission rates, patient satisfaction ratings and safety.
• The agreement is significantly longer than two previous agreements, each two years or less, giving each organization more stability to make longer-term planning decisions related to care investments, recruiting and staff development, and strategy.
• The agreement provides more opportunities for WSUPG physicians to further develop their practices and benefit from increased levels of DMC investment support.
• A Joint Operating Committee, representing leaders from each organization, will provide joint oversight and decision-making on clinical program strategies, including plans for service lines, staffing needs and ambulatory services, as well as capital investments. The governance structure is designed to ensure collaborative planning and operations that will increase access to high-quality, high-value, and operationally efficient care for patients in Detroit.

“This agreement is yet another example of how DMC is ensuring it will remain a leading care provider for Detroit and a world-class academic medical center,” said DMC Chief Executive Officer Tony Tedeschi, MD. “The new agreement with WSUPG solidifies DMC’s family of physicians, joining outstanding doctors in the DMC Medical Group as well as community physicians who provide care at DMC. Today’s announcement also shows what’s possible when two organizations work together for a common good: stronger care for the community. I want to thank the leadership and negotiating teams from WSUPG for their spirit of collaboration and innovation in achieving this agreement.”

The agreement was achieved by a 13-member negotiating team that included seven physicians representing DMC, WSUPG and Wayne State University School of Medicine (WSUSOM).

"We are pleased about this clinical agreement between WSUPG and DMC,” stated Charles J. Shanley, M.D., WSUPG President and chief executive officer. “This will strengthen our ability to provide access to highly specialized care and further our mission to support the health care needs of the community.”

Today’s announcement follows the agreement in principle reached by DMC and WSUPG on Aug. 26, when the parties committed to finalizing the deal by late September.