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Connect with Partners

A perspective on current issues in Massachusetts health care

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Tags: Coordinated Care

  • March 15, 2018

    Home, Safe Home: Benefits of Care Beyond the Hospital

    Home, Safe Home: Benefits of Care Beyond the Hospital

    For acutely ill adult patients, does care in the comfort of home deliver the same outcomes as hospital care? That was the essential question of a recent Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) pilot study, the first randomized, controlled clinical trial in the nation to test the impact of home-based hospital care on care quality, safety, and costs.

  • February 28, 2018

    Keeping Care Accountable for the Most Vulnerable Patients

    Keeping Care Accountable for the Most Vulnerable Patients

    With the official March 1 launch of Partners HealthCare’s Medicaid Accountable Care Organization (ACO), a host of tools designed to better serve the medical needs of Medicaid patients will now benefit more of our highest risk patients in this population.

  • February 21, 2018

    Pain Reliever: Helping Researchers Meet Demanding Patient Recruitment Goals

    Pain Reliever: Helping Researchers Meet Demanding Patient Recruitment Goals

    ​Brigham and Women’s Heather Baer, ScD, is the principal investigator of a study looking at three strategies for weight management in the primary care setting. Dr. Baer is just one of the hundreds of investigators at Partners HealthCare working to address a health care challenge through clinical research.

  • February 15, 2018

    Newton-Wellesley Hospital Makes Its Mark in Community Care

    Newton-Wellesley Hospital Makes Its Mark in Community Care

    As CEO of Newton-Wellesley Hospital, Michael R. Jaff, D.O., is adding to the expansive list of assets that have long made the medical center a best-kept secret in the community he calls home.

  • February 8, 2018

    Care Coordination Navigates Kidney Patients Away from Hospital Stays

    Care Coordination Navigates Kidney Patients Away from Hospital Stays

    For patients with end-stage renal disease—advanced chronic kidney disease that necessitates dialysis for survival—complications and hospitalization present a persistent threat. Often faced with comorbidities such as diabetes or vascular disease, patients require treatment from a patchwork of providers—which can result in fragmented, redundant care.

  • February 5, 2018

    More Flu, Fewer IVs Spark Ingenuity at Mass General

    More Flu, Fewer IVs Spark Ingenuity at Mass General

    On a given day, most of Massachusetts General Hospital's 1,000 beds are typically spoken for. During this high-volume flu season in the Commonwealth, however, a single empty bed can be impossible to find. The influx of flu patients, combined with a Hurricane Maria-induced IV bag shortage, has forced many area hospitals to think creatively.

  • February 1, 2018

    Collaborative Effort: Neurospine Consortium Sheds Light on Surgical Best Practices

    Collaborative Effort: Neurospine Consortium Sheds Light on Surgical Best Practices

    ​Among spinal surgeries, fusion procedures for lumbar spine disorders are exceedingly common—and costly. Though these procedures typically comprise a common framework—minimize pressure on the nerves, stabilize the spine, introduce any necessary implants for stabilization—substantial variety can be found in surgical approaches and surrounding care.

  • January 25, 2018

    Enhancing Patient Care With Care New England

    Enhancing Patient Care With Care New England

    Partners HealthCare is committed to strengthening patient care throughout the region. With intent to enter into a definitive agreement with Care New England Health System (CNE) announced this morning, we will outline details and plans to welcome several locations across Rhode Island into the Partners network​.

  • January 22, 2018

    Enhancing Primary Care, By Teaching Those Who Treat

    Enhancing Primary Care, By Teaching Those Who Treat

    Twice each month, a group of Partners HealthCare primary care doctors, nurse practitioners, behavioral health support specialists, social workers, addiction specialists, and other providers gather virtually. On the agenda: how best to assess, treat, and triage patients in primary care settings with substance use disorders.

  • January 16, 2018

    Medicaid Program Brings New Focus on Social Factors of Health

    Medicaid Program Brings New Focus on Social Factors of Health

    ​What does one’s method of transportation to and from work have to do with their health? Quite a bit, according to a growing body of evidence showing that social and economic factors—such as education, food security, housing, and income, and the environment—along with health behaviors can account for a full 80 percent of a person’s health outcomes.

  • January 8, 2018

    A Collaborative Effort for Better Care: System-wide Sepsis Initiative

    A Collaborative Effort for Better Care: System-wide Sepsis Initiative

    Collaboration is the essence of Partners HealthCare’s mission. Across our hospitals and 6,000 physicians, efforts are underway—every day—to enhance quality for our patients through interdisciplinary partnerships that uncover new insights and strengthen our standards of care.

  • January 3, 2018

    Partners Integrated Care Management Program Celebrates Five Years

    Partners Integrated Care Management Program Celebrates Five Years

    On December 8, the Partners HealthCare Integrated Care Management Program (iCMP) had a lot to celebrate. This year’s annual iCMP All Team Gathering commemorated the program’s 5-year-anniversary by highlighting achievements of staff members and looking forward toward expansions and project goals.

  • December 28, 2017

    A Look Back At Our Most Popular Posts From 2017

    A Look Back At Our Most Popular Posts From 2017

    Here on Connect with Partners, we strive to share compelling stories from Partners HealthCare and the local and national health care industries with our readers. Our blog posts cover innovative patient care, pioneering research, legislation discussions, and other important health care issues currently affecting our communities.

  • December 14, 2017

    Hope for Mental Health Conditions Comes from Awareness, Research

    Hope for Mental Health Conditions Comes from Awareness, Research

    While a joyful time for many, the holiday season is often regarded as a challenging time of year for those struggling with mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, or exacerbating feelings of isolation. Across the Partners HealthCare System, we’re working hard to ensure that our patients receive comprehensive mental health care every day.

  • November 27, 2017

    A Vision for the Future at Mass. Eye and Ear

    A Vision for the Future at Mass. Eye and Ear

    The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary sees approximately 300,000 patients each year—and has seen its share of challenges in the 193 years since its founding. But after years of financial challenges, the specialty hospital needs the support of an integrated care system to continue its work.

  • November 2, 2017

    From Volume to Value: The Mattress Pad as Metaphor

    From Volume to Value: The Mattress Pad as Metaphor

    In fiscal year 2017 Brigham and Women's Hospital embarked on a $150 million cost-cutting initiative. This is just one slice of Partners HealthCare's overall forward-looking effort to reduce our operating budget by $500 million.

  • August 17, 2017

    Partners Teams Up with State for Better, More Affordable Medicaid Coverage

    Partners Teams Up with State for Better, More Affordable Medicaid Coverage

    Partners will participate in an initiative to improve care and reduce costs for Massachusetts' Medicaid program. In March 2018, Partners will launch Partners HealthCare Choice as part of the new MassHealth Accountable Care Organization program, which aims to shift provider reimbursements from a fee-for-service model to an accountable care model.

  • August 7, 2017

    How Partners is Expanding the Role of Non-Clinical Support Services to Treat Patients with Substance Use Disorders

    How Partners is Expanding the Role of Non-Clinical Support Services to Treat Patients with Substance Use Disorders

    Substance use disorders (SUDs), including alcohol and opioid use disorders, are highly prevalent in our New England communities. To address this, Partners has developed a network of clinical and non-clinical support services to meet the complex needs of patients with SUDs.

  • June 15, 2017

    In Boston, Health Care’s Fight Against Climate Change Will Continue

    In Boston, Health Care’s Fight Against Climate Change Will Continue

    Today, Kate Walsh, president and CEO of Boston Medical Center, and our own Dr. David Torchiana, delivered a full-throated editorial in support of the Boston health care community’s commitment to fighting the clear and growing threat of climate change.

  • June 12, 2017

    Partners Joins 18 Health Organizations to Improve MassHealth ACO

    Partners Joins 18 Health Organizations to Improve MassHealth ACO

    As the state seeks to overhaul its Medicaid program, MassHealth, with the most ambitious redesign in more than 20 years, it has chosen no less than 18 provider groups to help launch the effort in January 2018, including Partners HealthCare.

  • June 8, 2017

    Preparing for End of Life: Addressing Palliative Care Across Partners

    Preparing for End of Life: Addressing Palliative Care Across Partners

    When the goal of treatment is to improve the health of the patient, discussions and plans around end of life can sometimes seem counterintuitive. But death is just as much a part of the medical sphere as life-saving treatments. A growing group of Partners clinicians are urging their colleagues to be more open and comfortable with the topic of dying

  • May 18, 2017

    Partners and GE Team Up to Revolutionize Care with Artificial Intelligence

    Partners and GE Team Up to Revolutionize Care with Artificial Intelligence

    We believe artificial intelligence (AI) will be an inevitable part of health care in the future, and this week we’ve taken steps to partner with our new Boston neighbor, GE Healthcare, to ensure that we remain at the forefront of discovery and innovation in this space.

  • May 8, 2017

    Specialized Team Fights Opioid Addiction at Newton-Wellesley Hospital

    Specialized Team Fights Opioid Addiction at Newton-Wellesley Hospital

    This past month, the city of Newton and Newton-Wellesley Hospital (NWH) revealed plans to collaborate on a new public-private partnership called the Substance Abuse Disorders Service team that will work within the hospital and the community to fight the growing opioid epidemic.

  • May 8, 2017

    Partners eConsults Program Connects Doctors for Better Care

    Partners eConsults Program Connects Doctors for Better Care

    To mitigate delays and connect patients more quickly with quality specialist care, Partners’ physicians now have access to a Partners program called eConsults.

  • May 1, 2017

    New Study Shows Care Management Program Reduced Costs in Partners ACO

    New Study Shows Care Management Program Reduced Costs in Partners ACO

    For the past several years​, Partners HealthCare has participated in the U.S. government’s Pioneer Accountable Care Organization​​​ (ACO). By participating in an ACO, we’re required to share in the financial risk associated with our patients’ medical spending and think about alternative ways to get patients the care that they need.

  • April 27, 2017

    We’re Better Together: The Partners HealthCare Annual Report

    We’re Better Together: The Partners HealthCare Annual Report

    In our Partners HealthCare Annual Report, out now, the “Better Together” ethos is present on every page. Give it a read today and see for yourself the depth of our commitment to better outcomes for our patients and the communities in which we serve.

  • April 24, 2017

    Rhode Island’s Care New England to Join Partners HealthCare Network

    Rhode Island’s Care New England to Join Partners HealthCare Network

    The Care New England Health System of Providence, Rhode Island (CNE) has announced its intent to join Partners HealthCare. Pending regulatory approval, the decision would mark a culmination of a collaborative cardiovascular and surgical relationship that began at Brigham and Women’s Hospital back in 2009.

  • April 17, 2017

    RODY Program Forges Direct Connection Between Patient and Researcher

    RODY Program Forges Direct Connection Between Patient and Researcher

    Given the breadth and depth of our research programs, meeting patient enrollment targets continues to be a challenge for many clinical research studies across Partners HealthCare.

  • February 24, 2017

    Partners Clinical Collaboration Program Drives Safer, Higher Quality Care

    Partners Clinical Collaboration Program Drives Safer, Higher Quality Care

    Today, Partners HealthCare is comprised of 11 hospitals and more than 6,000 physicians. By working together, our network of medical experts has created a whole that is much greater than the sum of its parts when it comes to patient care.

  • January 4, 2017

    Wentworth-Douglass Hospital Joins MGH, Partners HealthCare Family

    Wentworth-Douglass Hospital Joins MGH, Partners HealthCare Family

    For the first time ever, a New Hampshire hospital, Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, is now part of the Mass General Hospital (MGH) family and a member of the Partners HealthCare sytem.

  • January 3, 2017

    Grant Gives Southern Jamaica Plain Health Center New Roles, Chance to Improve Patient Care Quality

    Grant Gives Southern Jamaica Plain Health Center New Roles, Chance to Improve Patient Care Quality

    One year ago, the Southern Jamaica Plain Health Center (SJPHC) received a 2-year Partnership for Community Health Excellence and Innovation grant that helped create two new, critical roles: a medical social worker and a health coach.

  • December 29, 2016

    Top Posts from 2016: Partners HealthCare Facts

    Top Posts from 2016: Partners HealthCare Facts

    Our most popular Connect with Partners post from 2016 was actually a package of three articles that we called “Partners HealthCare Facts.” In this series, we focused on the following three stories, each of which gave a glimpse into the Partners network and its role within the larger health care landscape. The People Who Are Par...

  • October 11, 2016

    Teaming Up to Address Mentally Ill Patients In Lynn

    Teaming Up to Address Mentally Ill Patients In Lynn

    Thanks to a competitive grant from the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission, a new program is taking shape at the Lynn Community Health Center (LCHC) that could have a profound impact on one of our community’s most underserved populations: patients suffering from debilitating mental health and substance abuse issues.

  • July 21, 2016

    Remote Pain Management Program Having Local Impact at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital

    Remote Pain Management Program Having Local Impact at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital

    The Vineyard Hospital Center for Pain Management (CPM) is well on its way to setting the standard for how telemedicine can help patients in remote areas successfully manage their pain--often without the use of habit-forming narcotics.

  • June 29, 2016

    iCMP: Focusing on the Chronically Ill to Improve Care, Reduce Costs

    iCMP: Focusing on the Chronically Ill to Improve Care, Reduce Costs

    Five percent of patients account for half of health care spending and patients with multiple chronic conditions cost up to seven times more than those with only one.

  • June 27, 2016

    Collaborative ER-based Opioid Program Making a Difference at BID-Plymouth

    At Partners HealthCare, we’ve made enhanced treatment and prevention options a priority for the communities we serve. We also recognize this growing issue requires resources from everyone, including political leadership, law enforcement, and other health care organizations.

  • June 7, 2016

    5 Things to Know About Population Health Management

    5 Things to Know About Population Health Management

    Population health management, it’s a term you hear often, but what is PHM actually trying to do? Thousands of people across Partners are working together to achieve these five goals.

  • May 13, 2016

    Why is Partners HealthCare More Expensive?

    In the ongoing conversation about health care costs a frequently asked question is “why do some hospitals charge more than others for the same services?” The truth is, no two hospitals or health systems are quite the same. In this post are some of the reasons that care at Partner's hospitals costs more.

  • March 23, 2016

    A System of Support Leads to a Surprising Recovery

    A System of Support Leads to a Surprising Recovery

    After he was ejected from a car in an accident last summer, Anthony Hodges was rushed to Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Neurosurgeon Dr. Yi Lu performed emergency surgery to try to prevent paralysis, but he still feared Hodges might never walk again. However, Hodges, recently named captain of the Salem State basketball team, ...

  • February 2, 2016

    Depression Screening for All Adults Deserves a Thumbs Up

    At Partners HealthCare, we’ve made it a priority to integrate behavioral health care into our primary care practices, particularly through population health management programs. In this post, Dr. Brent Forester, who heads up these efforts, explains the important role of screening primary care patients for mental health condition...

  • July 1, 2015

    A Plan for Better Care at North Shore Medical Center

    At Partners HealthCare, we’re committed to providing better care, close to home for all of the communities we serve. That’s why we’re announcing a plan to improve care and coordination with North Shore Medical Center (NSMC) by serving the needs of the region more efficiently and significantly improving access to behavioral healt...

  • September 16, 2014

    Home Care: A Key Link in the Population Health Management Chain

    It was late spring of this year when Shirley Hutchins's chronic breathing problems suddenly got worse. She had been diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension, or high blood pressure in the lungs, and pulmonary fibrosis, a kind of scarring on her lung tissue. But even after using oxygen on a part-time basis for nearly a year, she co...

  • September 11, 2014

    The Case for Better Behavioral Health Care

    More than 60 million Americans live with mental illness each year, yet social stigma and a lack of treatment facilities can make it difficult for them to get the care they need. “While over the past two decades, the public’s awareness of mental illnesses and the effectiveness of treatment have significantly reduced the stigma, ...

  • August 8, 2014

    Discussing Our Proposed Partnerships with WGBH’s Emily Rooney

    http://youtu.be/-H-Xw3AQFO4 Partners HealthCare president and CEO Dr. Gary Gottlieb appeared on WGBH’s “Greater Boston” last night to discuss our proposed partnerships with South Shore Hospital, Hallmark Health and Harbor Medical Associates. “Our vision is really about our patients -- getting them care where they live,” Dr. Gott...

  • July 11, 2014

    Different Perspectives on Health Care

    There has been a lot of conversation over the past few weeks about the agreement we reached with the Massachusetts Attorney General to acquire South Shore Hospital, Hallmark Health and Harbor Medical Associates. While a few of our competitors claim that these new affiliations would give Partners HealthCare too great a share in t...

  • July 10, 2014

    Why Our Partnerships Will Benefit Patients

    Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley has filed an agreement in Suffolk Superior Court that would allow us to move forward on partnerships with South Shore Hospital, Hallmark Health and Harbor Medical Associates. Our vision offers substantive benefits for patients in these communities. At Partners HealthCare, we want to ...

  • June 11, 2014

    Boston Globe Calls Partnership “Healthy for Massachusetts”

    At Partners HealthCare, we’re working to bring high-quality, affordable health care closer to the communities we serve. A recent agreement in principle that we reached with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office marked a significant step forward in achieving that goal. The agreement allows us to move forward with new partne...

  • May 23, 2014

    Boston Business Journal Endorses Our New Partnerships

    After reaching an agreement in principle with the Massachusetts Attorney General earlier this week, multiple news organizations have expressed, in their editorials, support for the proposed new partnerships with South Shore Hospital, Hallmark Health and Harbor Medical Associates as they will allow us to bring high-quality care c...

  • May 20, 2014

    Moving Forward with Our Partnerships

    We’re pleased to announce that we have reached an agreement in principle with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office that will allow Partners HealthCare to move ahead with partnerships with South Shore Hospital, Harbor Medical Associates and Hallmark Health System. These affiliations support our mission to offer the highest...

  • April 15, 2014

    A City United, A System Prepared

    Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital patient Marc Fucarile and Dr. David Crandell On April 15, 2013, Dr. David King finished running the Boston Marathon – and then rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital to operate on 15 people over the following 30 hours. The trauma surgeon’s story is just one of many others like it: doctors and ...

  • April 2, 2014

    A Patient’s Transformation Through Population Health Management

    Dr. Nadaa Ali and patient Normie Allen In the fall of 2012, Normie Allen of Roxbury wasn’t doing well. She was nearly 70 years old, and it seemed as though a combination of chronic ailments was going to overwhelm her. First, there were her main conditions: diabetes and congestive heart failure. On top of that, she suffered from ...

  • March 24, 2014

    Dr. Timothy Ferris on the Success of Population Health Management for ACOs

    http://vimeo.com/88760184 Our population health management initiatives promote better coordinated, more accessible patient care while also helping to control costs over the long-term. Earlier this month, Partners Vice President of Population Health Management Dr. Timothy Ferris discussed our approach with Dr. Rebecca Rosen, seni...

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Partners Healthcare: Founded by Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital
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Founding Members
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  • Cooley Dickinson Hospital
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  • MGH Institute of Health Professions
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  • Neighborhood Health Plan
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  • North Shore Medical Center
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