Tales of the Wayfaring Generic Manager - from Ritz Carlton Hotels to Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital to Cancer Treatment Centers of America

In 2006, we wondered what a former hotel manager, Mr Gerard van Grinsven, admittedly known for putting the "wow" back in the Detroit Ritz-Carlton, would be doing as a hospital CEO.  This seemed at the time like a real "wow" example of how generic managers were taking over health care.  Mr Grinsven had extensive experience in the hospitality field, but no known background in health care. Organic Local Produce, "Wellbeing Centers," Gourmet Dining, Wedding Receptions, and Corporate FunctionsOver the next few years, Mr van Grinsven's Henry Ford West Bloomfield hospital did make a name for itself.  In 2009, Becker's Hospital Review reported on some of Mr Van Grinsven's innovations.  First, he lead an apparent change in the hospital's mission from acute care to recreating:the hospital experience into one focused on promoting wellbeing and healthy living. The hospital has already begun to realize its mission statement, which reads 'to take health and healing beyond the boundaries of imagination.'The new hospital apparently was designed to look like a luxury hotel:The hospital is located on 160 acres of woodlands and is designed to resemble a Northern Michigan lodge. The facility also features a retail 'main street' which looks like an actual main street in a Northern Michigan town and includes stores focused on sleep, pregnancy, organic food and healthy cooking as well as a pharmacy.Apparently it is now a favored site for weddings:The hospital also ho...
Source: Health Care Renewal - Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Tags: hospitals generic managers deception Henry Ford Health System Cancer Treatment Centers of America ill-informed management Source Type: blogs