Sinai Shows Profit
For The Fiscal Year

DAVID KOTZEN-REICH

Staff Writer

imberly Richards was
beaming Sunday
after delivering a 7-
pound baby boy. It is the
sixth baby for the 27-year-
old Detroit mother, but her
first time on Sinai Hospital's
maternity ward.
"I took the tour (of Sinai)
and was really impressed
with the staff," she said.
"They really treated me
well. It's so relaxing, and
they really care. They made
the delivery easier knowing
they cared about me."
Patients like Mrs.
Richards reflect an increase
in patient load and res-
1 ' urgence in the community's
faith in Sinai Hospital,
liospital officials said. In
July, for example, the
average patient count was
380, or a little over 80 per-

"There may have
been questions in
the past as to
whether Sinai
could survive. I
don't believe that's
the issue
anymore."

Phil Sheingold

cent of the 500 beds Sinai
operates.
Like Mrs. Richards, who
lives in the Schoolcraft and
Telegraph area and is
Catholic, the vast majority
of Sinai patients are not
Jewish and live in Detroit.
Many days now, especially
in the surgical, cardiac,
pulmonary and emergency
cinits, hospital beds are hard
to find, something Sinai
asn't seen for a handful of
years.
So it was with little sur-
prise this week when a
report for fiscal year 1992
s howed Sinai recovering
from last year's loss of
almost $10 million. Sinai
President Phil Sheingold
said the hospital made
$8,400,000 this fiscal year.
Not since at least 1985 has
,the net operating margin
been so wide.
Barely one-and-a-half
years ago, Sinai was on the
verge of being sold. Merger
negotiations were initiated
between Detroit Medical
Center (DMC) and Sinai of-
ficials.

"This place has done a
remarkable turnaround,"
said Mr. Sheingold. "There
may have been questions in
the past as to whether Sinai
could survive. I don't believe
that's the issue anymore."
After negotiations with
DMC broke off, Sinai em-
barked on a mission to save
the hospital and make it
competitive. The board hired
a hospital management
company, the Hunter Group,
that streamlined operations.
Hospital officials laid off
200 full-time workers, or 8
percent of the hospital staff.
Senior and middle manage-
ment was trimmed by con-
solidating several depart-
ments under one department
head.
The reduction in hospital
staff alone accounts for a
continued savings of $4 to $5
million annually.
"A big portion of this fiscal
year's profit is the result of
controlling expenses," Mr.
Sheingold said.
Costs were controlled, he
said, by reducing hospital
supply costs such as phar-
maceutical and cleaning
supplies. "We reevaluated
our relationship with our
vendors and took a hard look
at our contracts."
Measures also were taken
to revitalize patient care and
services. At the same time,
Sinai physicians spearhead-
ed a campaign to attract new
patients. Most doctors at
Sinai practice at other
hospitals as well, but they
vowed to recommend Sinai.
The doctors rallied to save
what they call the only Jew-
ish connection to Detroit,
trying to persuade their
Jewish patients to return
across Eight Mile.

Dr. Hugh Beckman,
chairman of the oph-
thalmology department who
spearheaded the doctors'
campaign, said the hospital
began improving cleanliness
and staff attentiveness
under the direction of former
President Robert Steinberg.
"When things get shabby,
you get a milieu, and you
have to live down your
reputation," he said. "Even
though that started to
change, there was no com-
munity awareness of it."
Dr. Beckman said the
hospital had lacked "a user-
friendly atmosphere." With
the changes, however, the
hospital's operating and
emergency rooms are runn-
in g efficiently and

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