About 25 faculty pediatricians from Detroit-based Wayne State University are no longer allowed to provide primary care services at Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit, The Detroit News reported.
The announcement came from Detroit Medical Center and its owner, Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare, according to the newspaper, which cites a letter sent to faculty May 5 from WSU School of Medicine Dean Mark Schweitzer, MD.
The move reportedly affects faculty pediatricians in WSU's pediatrics group. The group, called Wayne Pediatrics, formed in April 2019 after University Pediatricians, the group representing pediatricians who work for Children's Hospital of Michigan, began a new partnership with Mount Pleasant-based Central Michigan University and stopped using WSU funds to pay the physicians' salaries.
In October, WSU sent termination notices to 110 pediatricians who work for WSU's medical school and Children's Hospital of Michigan, saying they could either join WSU's pediatrics group or lose their jobs with the university in November. According to The Detroit News, a deadline was later rescinded.
Dr. Schweitzer called the ban "egregious" in his letter to WSU faculty.
"This appears to be the latest in Tenet's ongoing effort to irreparably harm the Detroit Medical Center's decades-long relationship with Wayne State University and its School of Medicine," he wrote.
In an emailed statement, DMC said Children's Hospital of Michigan has had an exclusive arrangement with University Pediatricians for many years, and the group's reputation is "broadly recognized" in the community.
"DMC regrets that Wayne State chose to develop a competing pediatric group which has resulted in a potential separation in the pediatric community that has been a hallmark of excellence in Detroit and at Children's Hospital of Michigan for decades," the statement added.
DMC said Wayne Pediatrics physicians will remain members of the DMC medical staff, and Wayne Pediatrics physicians can care for patients at Children's Hospital of Michigan for specialty services, which aren't part of the exclusive University Pediatricians contract. They also can practice at all other DMC facilities.
Editor's note: This story was updated at 4:19 p.m. CDT May 6 with a statement from DMC.
Becker's Hospital Review has also reached out to Tenet and will post additional details as they are available.
Read the full report here.