Wayne State, Henry Ford Health discuss combining physician groups

Wayne State University and its medical affiliates are talking about a potential business deal with Henry Ford Health System, Crain’s Detroit Business has learned.While Wayne State already has various medical education and research arrangements with Henry Ford, the talks underway since at least January involve the possibility of merging or combining the 1,200-physician Henry Ford Medical Group with most of Wayne State’s 400-physician University Physician Group, according to four sources familiar with the matter.A deal also could expand the current education and research agreements between the two Detroit-based health care organizations and would have effects that could reverberate far beyond the two organizations. It signals that the long-term partnership between Wayne State and DMC may be