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Message from the Dean Regarding WSU/DMC Partnership

Dear Colleagues:

Many of you have seen the articles in this morning’s newspapers announcing my resignation from the Detroit Medical Center Board of Trustees. I’m sure most of you are aware of the financial distress facing the medical center and the severe measures that have been proposed in the past few weeks in order to keep the corporation solvent. I have repeatedly expressed WSU’s commitment to our clinical partner and I continue to fully support efforts to seek equity in reimbursement as a remedy to this crisis.

However, it has become increasingly apparent that my presence as a Wayne State University representative on the DMC Board of Trustees has been viewed as a potential conflict by other members of the board and the DMC administration. At stake is the extension of the two contracts affirming DMC’s commitment to the School of Medicine as its academic partner and ensuring the future of the DMC as a strong academic medical center. These contracts, which total nearly $90 million annually, are essential to the continuity of our partnership. The DMC/WSU agreement for graduate medical education reimburses the School for its educator role for DMC’s nearly 1,000 residents and fellows. The DMC/ACHS agreement for clinical services reimburses our faculty group practices for medical administration, clinical coverage, under- and unreimbursed clinical care and program development that is financially beneficial to both parties.

Without the ability to participate as a full, voting member, bringing the resources of the university and our faculty to the table, I felt it was in the best interest of both institutions to tender my resignation.

Today, the DMC is expected to introduce a plan for a dramatic reduction in services in an effort to turn the financial tide. Although the DMC has iterated many possibilities for such a plan, including the closing of one or more of its facilities, we do not yet know the full extent of the changes that may be implemented.

That said, I want to assure all the members of the WSU School of Medicine community that we are carefully planning for every contingency. We will remain a viable, full-service medical school with a firm commitment to excellence in each of our missions of medical education, research and, through our faculty, patient care.

Attached are some of the key message statements, along with some questions and answers about the DMC’s current situation and how we may be impacted. Again, our actions are contingent upon the imminent changes imposed by the DMC. I will continue to keep you apprised as we are impacted specifically.

These are tough times, and they call for drastic measures. We know the road ahead of us will not be smooth. But I have every confidence in our faculty and I am thoroughly convinced that we will be able to weather this storm and emerge an even stronger enterprise.

Sincerely,

John D. Crissman