DETROIT – The partnership between Wayne State University and the Detroit Medical Center was so strong, at times, that it was hard to tell them apart. But the line was clearly drawn Wednesday, and the separation of a decades-long program for medical students and Detroit patients is official.
UPDATE: Wayne State, Detroit Medical Center agree to 6-month contract extension
The two logos were often spotted side by side as Wayne State medical students and interns used the DMC campus and facilities for training and research.
But after nearly 100 years, the two have cut ties.
"I wasn't completely surprised by it," "The DMC and Tenet Health have been going the direction they're going for awhile, and it's not entirely surprising."
Tenet Healthcare, along with Wayne State, were in negotiations to extend a contract to keep doctors with the Wayne State University's physician group treating the patients at all DMC hospitals.
But on Wednesday afternoon, Wayne State president M. Roy Wilson sent a letter to medical students, saying it came as a surprise and a disappointment.
"Unwinding a partnership that has endured for decades is a complex undertaking and may take several years of hard work," Wilson wrote. "We will do all we can to ensure patient care is uninterrupted."
Detroit Medical Center CEO Anthony Tedeschi said it was about patient care in negotiations the prompted the DMC to cut the deal.
Tedeschi said the Wayne State school of medicine's letter "sought to use a threat to patient care as leverage in what had been a collaborative negotiation between longstanding partners. (DMC) will begin immediately looking for a new long-term academic partner."
You can watch Jermont Terry's full story in the video posted above.