Ann Arbor-based University of Michigan is reportedly negotiating a potential affiliation agreement with Detroit-based University Pediatrics, a physician group that provides staff and faculty for Wayne State University School of Medicine and the Children's Hospital of Michigan, both in Detroit, according to Crain's Detroit Business.
UP and Wayne State have reportedly been at odds for at least one year after UP signed a direct teaching agreement with Detroit Medical Center, which also operates CHOM, last fall, according to the report. Wayne State officials reportedly told Crain's Detroit Business the agreement violated a 2003 agreement with UP because Wayne State was not involved in the agreement.
Under UP and Wayne State's current agreement, either party must provide six months’ notice if they intend to end the agreement. UP reportedly gave Wayne State officials notice of their intent to negotiate with other universities last month, an anonymous source told Crain's Detroit Business.
If UP chooses to end their agreement, Wayne State will reportedly attempt to form its own pediatric physicians group. Detroit-based Henry Ford Health System officials confirmed to Crain's Detroit Business the health system has been in talks with Wayne State regarding "a variety of clinical and teaching issues," according to the report.