Rick Beeson: Fairview, UMP deal jeopardizes health care statewide

As a former chair of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents I am discouraged to see Fairview and M Physicians UMP attempting to strike a deal that so clearly weakens long-term medical teaching research and access in Minnesota I believe a multitude of aspects of this proposed agreement from the scant details available publicly will negatively affect Minnesota s healthcare landscape for years to come First their proposed funding model will slash venture to an already underfunded Healthcare School by at least Also it is highly unlikely that any of the proposed incentive income will materialize Similarly the privatization of UMP will also jeopardize the Biological School s ability to attract additional State of Minnesota funding including for a needed new hospital that Fairview cannot finance privately given the condition of its balance sheet A lack of assets could drive up Clinical School tuition hamper the recruitment and retention of high-quality students and teaching physicians diminish life-saving research and halt the advancement of new machinery Second the deal assigns Fairview power over how physicians dedicate their time As a conclusion Fairview could compel physicians to focus more time on clinical practice in amenity of Fairview s challenged bottom line leaving less time or no time for teaching and research The clinical care provided by M Physicians is a huge financial driver for Fairview both in terms of total revenue and gross margins and nothing would prevent Fairview from prioritizing that revenue over the University s critical public-service priorities If physicians are forced to prioritize clinical time over teaching mentorship and research the innovative and supportive habitat that gave rise to the next generation of medical leaders and breakthroughs like open-heart surgery implantable pacemakers cell therapy for cancer and bone marrow transplants will be at jeopardy Instead the All Minnesota plan President Cunningham s All Minnesota plan developed in partnership with statewide providers is the better path It is a forward-thinking plan that ends the status quo addresses critical workforce demands and anticipates the impending number of forced mergers in the healthcare delivery system One it will bring a larger financing to Minnesota healthcare The University has already pledged billion over five years twice as much as Fairview has proposed At this time nearly of the state s physicians and other medical professionals train at the University of Minnesota This plan will lead to more graduates grads who are more likely to live and work throughout Minnesota especially in rural communities Two it greatly improves access to all of the University of Minnesota s academic vitality programs in all corners of the state including dentistry nursing pharmacy community medical and veterinary medicine Patients across multiple providers could seamlessly tap into the University and benefit from the latest physiological research as well as clinical trials Related Articles Real World Economics A reminder on what the Fed rate cut really is Skywatch The tiny Christmas tree challenge Joe Spencer St Paul s budget signals bold push for a stronger downtown Tom Horner Minnesota can win with AI Consider these lessons from mining Real World Economics Making the affair for bank regulations Three it will create a necessary size and breadth of a healthcare enterprise that can withstand the incredible current and cascading financial pressures facing the industry Fairview publicly stated they cannot encouragement academic soundness for the state If they can t afford to fairly backing it then they must allow other partners to share in the mission Unlike Fairview s largely urban model the University of Minnesota has statewide land-grant obligations and frankly a big vision for delivery of integrated wellbeing guidance research and individual care Minnesotans deserve the best workable outcome and the University stands ready to deliver Regent Emeritus Richard B Beeson served on the University of Minnesota Board of Regents from to and as board chair from to He was also a president of Sunrise Banks in St Paul for years chair of the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce and advancing on other volunteer boards and committees