Ohio officials are urging the governor to halt the potential sale of University of Toledo (Ohio) Medical Center and stop the transfer of its orthopedic services to ProMedica, according to The Toledo Blade.
Three Ohio officials, including Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz, State Sen. Teresa Fedor, D-Toledo, and former Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner, are asking Gov. Mike DeWine to take action by June 10 to prevent a sale. They are also asking the governor to intervene by July 1 to prevent the transfer of orthopedic services to Toledo-based ProMedica.
The officials argue the transfer of services to ProMedica will mean the loss of another revenue-generating department for UTMC.
The officials said that a 50-year affiliation agreement struck in 2015 with ProMedica has resulted in several of UTMC's top revenue-generating departments being transferred to ProMedica. The officials also argue that UTMC has lost many of its teaching physicians and students to ProMedica.
"There are growing concerns that this agreement positioned ProMedica for a hostile takeover of UTMC," Ms. Fedor told the publication.
In a letter to the governor, the officials argued that the affiliation agreement has been anticompetitive and that questions have been raised about "whether one purpose for the agreement was to undermine UTMC."
"The 50-year agreement was marketed as a means to improve UT's strained finances and to help its [UT College of Medicine and Life Sciences] enhance its academic mission. Neither has occurred," the letter continues.
However, university officials have pushed back against criticism that the affiliation is anticompetitive and is a factor in the university's decision to seek potential partnerships or a sale for UTMC.
"The University of Toledo has been open and transparent about the financial challenges facing UTMC that led to the public request for proposals process to seek possible partnerships or sale of the hospital," a spokesperson for the university said.
The spokesperson added that the 2015 agreement was between ProMedica and the university's college of medicine, not UTMC, and has enhanced the university's medical education programs.
Read the full report here.