DETROIT (WXYZ) — Karmanos alleges DMC threatened to cut or reduce essential daily support services critical for delivering continuous patient care, restricted the cancer hospital's efforts to build new facilities and expand patient programs, and implemented unjustified service cost hikes.
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Brian Gamble, president and CEO of Karmanos Cancer Hospital, said the lawsuit is a preemptive effort to bring DMC and Tenet to the table to resolve a longstanding contractual dispute.
"Recently Tenet and DMC threatened to terminate basic functions if Karmanos did not pay the arbitrarily determined amounts. They have recalculated amounts using non-contract calculations that have resulted in higher amounts due than what we've paid historically," Gamble said.
"We took this action as a preemptive action. To preserve and protect our patients to the high quality cancer care that they deserve from us on a daily basis," Gamble said.
When Karmanos separated from DMC in 2005, it entered an agreement to remain on the medical center's Detroit campus and purchase essential support services from DMC.
Gamble says Karmanos has for years worked in good faith to resolve its concerns regarding service levels, costs and delivery of essential services to no avail.
"For a cancer center caring for patients with complex and life altering diagnoses, the threat of disruption of essential services is not simply a business disagreement, it is a patient care issue," Gamble said.
Despite the contract dispute with DMC and Tenet, Karmanos says there will be no disruption to patient care.
DMC and Tenet Healthcare did not respond to a request for comment in time for broadcast.
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