DMC CEO to retire, replaced by downtown hospital CEO

Detroit — The CEO of Detroit Medical Center is stepping down Jan. 1.

Anthony Tedeschi, who plans to retire after joining the DMC in 2017, will be replaced by Audrey Gregory, DMC president and CEO of the downtown adult campus of the seven-hospital nonprofit health system.

“It has been a pleasure serving the Detroit community,” Tedeschi said in a statement. “I have enjoyed making Detroit my home and working with our staff physicians and community members over the last several years. I am excited for DMC’s future under Audrey’s leadership."

Gregory joined the DMC in October with 15 years of senior leadership experience at various other hospitals owned by DMC parent company Tenet Healthcare Corp. Most recently she was CEO of Tenet's market in Memphis, Tennessee, and the St. Francis Hospital there. Her background is in nursing.

“Dr. Gregory’s extensive experience as a clinical leader and her strong background in nursing and hospital administration will benefit the Detroit community,” Saum Sutaria, Tenet's president and chief operating officer, said in a statement. “Her knowledge makes her the perfect choice to lead the DMC and build upon the legacy created by Dr. Tedeschi and the DMC leadership team.”

Tedeschi will stay with the DMC through March 2020 to provide counsel and assist with the leadership transition. He has more than 20 years of leadership in health care both in its operations and at a clinical level.

“Tony is a thoughtful leader who made caring for the Detroit community his passion,” Sutaria said. “He has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to our patients and their families and has been instrumental in creating a culture of compassion, safety and quality that our staff and patients expect and deserve."

In recent years, DMC has endured several scandals, including one over dirty surgical instruments at its downtown Detroit hospitals, which stoked doctors' concerns over patient safety and was uncovered in a six-month Detroit News investigation published in August 2016.

The health system also failed state and federal inspections at several of its hospitals and was threatened with the loss of federal funding before the problems were corrected in May 2017. The health system spent $1.6 million on new and replacement equipment, hired additional sterilization staff and fine-tuned the chemicals used to clean instruments.

In October 2018, three of DMC’s cardiologists said they were barred from leadership roles after complaints were filed on the quality of care at DMC. Its related accreditation was put under scrutiny but eventually allowed to continue. 

Most recently, a training program for neurosurgeons at DMC lost its accreditation, jeopardizing the reputation of the health system and its longtime academic partner, Wayne State University.

The Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education outlined the allegations in July that resident neurosurgeons were bullied, forced to work excessive hours and discouraged from reporting safety concerns.

DMC and Wayne State University have both declined to comment on the allegations described in the July 2 letter, which was obtained by The Detroit News. DMC has vowed to appeal the accreditation loss, which is effective June 30.