Advocate Aurora, Beaumont End Partnership Discussions

ROYAL OAK, MI — Five months after announcing the signing of a non-binding letter of intent, Advocate Aurora Health and Beaumont Health have both agreed to end partnership discussions.

“We continue to have a very high regard for Advocate Aurora Health,” Beaumont President and CEO John Fox said. “But, at this time, we want to focus on our local market priorities and the physicians, nurses and staff who provide compassionate, extraordinary care every day.”

While discussions began in late 2019, they were put on hold earlier this year as COVID-19 accelerated across the Midwest.

“We have great respect for Beaumont Health and we continue to believe scale will play a critical role in advancing quality, accelerating transformation and reducing cost in the healthcare world of tomorrow,” Advocate Aurora President and CEO Jim Skogsbergh said.

Oakland County Executive David Coulter said the move between Beaumont, Oakland County's largest employer, and Aurora was the "right thing to do."

"Beyond financial benefits, any partnership must demonstrate tangible community benefits and improved quality of healthcare for our residents not readily apparent in this proposal," Coulter said. "I look forward to Beaumont’s renewed focus on ‘local market priorities’ and the critical role they play in the quality of life in this region.”