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MGH Institute Prerequisites for the Health Care Professions: Semester Begins May 20

Tue, 14 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Register for summer 2013 online and onsite classes at the MGH Institute of Health Professions: Jump start a career in nursing, physical therapy, speech-language pathology, or other high-demand careers with fundamental science courses taught by a renowned faculty uniquely centered at the crossroads of health care and education. Starting this semester, all students enrolled in prerequisite programs are also eligible for Academic Extras.

Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital designed to weather storms

Tue, 14 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Before officially opening, the new Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital was featured on WCVB's Chronicle.

Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, now open, is Boston’s first building designed to weather climate change. The hospital, located in the Charlestown Navy Yard, was built a full foot higher than the previous location and includes artificial reefs to protect against high tides of severe storms.

The hospital is expected to be a model of resiliency in terms of both climate change and patients. With lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital has operable windows and electrical services to keep patients safe in case of emergency.

Spaulding’s location at the Navy Yard supports its adaptive sports program and offers waterside views that help patients look to the future.

Watch the WCVB video.

Partners HealthCare 2012 Annual Report

Mon, 06 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Commitment reinforces an acceptance of responsibility, a responsibility to be a leader always driving to innovate and improve. At Partners we are embracing this leadership role as we commit ourselves to providing the highest-quality health care that is affordable and accessible. We are partnering at the federal and state level with legislative and policy leaders and with our local business community, consumer advocates and insurers to find new ways to improve the health care delivery system.

In this year’s annual report, we are sharing our success stories of innovation and coordination. These narratives are simply a taste of what our teams are tackling across our system, at our hospitals and institutions, as we combine the strengths of our collective talents to develop best practices that will benefit our patients through a seamless, coordinated line of care.

Read the 2012 Annual Report.

Two HealthCorps Navigators working at Brockton Neighborhood Health Center

Fri, 03 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Two young women at the Brockton Neighborhood Health Center are helping patients access services and getting a chance to learn more about careers in health care. Both women are part of the HealthCorps Navigators program, an initiative running since 2004. The program places high school students and college graduates at community health centers where they get a chance to work on various projects to promote health education, patient outreach, and patient access. The HealthCorps Navigators also benefit the health centers by allowing nurses and doctors to concentrate on seeing patients, as the Navigators take on non-clinical tasks.

Partners HealthCare, along with the Mass League of Community Health Centers, funds the HealthCorps Navigator program.

Read more from The Brockton Enterprise.

Partners makes additional three year commitment to Thrive in 5 community programming

Fri, 03 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare has extended its commitment to support Thrive in 5, a community outreach program that aims to provide healthy eating and active living opportunities to children and families from different neighborhoods of Boston. The Thrive in 5 program is related to Boston Children Thrive, an effort to make sure that Boston children have all of the community resources they need to succeed in school and generally in life.

Thrive in 5 strives to make healthy eating and active living fun by engaging kids in activities like farmers markets, cooking classes, and gardening.

Partners in Career and Workforce Development program trains community members for careers in health care

Fri, 03 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Partners in Career and Workforce Development, a free, intensive education and internship program, gives people the opportunity to learn about the health care field and then apply that knowledge on the job. PCWD has trained 426 community members for jobs in the health care sector since it began.Eighty-six percent of graduates have been placed at jobs at Partners HealthCare hospitals upon completion.

Read more about PCWD and about two graduates' experiences from The Baystate Banner.

Learn more about participating in PCWD.

Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Boston moves to its new location in the Charlestown Navy Yard

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The new Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in the Charlestown Navy Yard opened its doors this month. Staff coordinated moving 100 patients to the new location. The new nine-story, 300,000 square feet medical facility offers the latest technology and resources for patients with spinal cord and brain injuries, stroke, burns, amputations, and other injuries.

Read the news stories from Charlestown Patch and CBS Boston.

Among its first patients are victims of the Boston Marathon bombings. The new hospital is designed for easier access to patients with various disabilities, including lower nurse station counters and private rooms to accommodate visitors.

Find media coverage from WHDH 7 News, NECN, and The Boston Globe.

Spaulding Rehabilitation Network is a member of Partners HealthCare.

Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital unveils its state-of-the-art new hospital to the public

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Boston, MA – Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital unveiled its new 262,000 square foot, 132 bed patient-centered hospital to the public this week. The facility has already been recognized for its LEED Gold status, reflecting its commitment to green design principles. Located at 300 First Avenue in Charlestown, the hospital will be previewed for the public and area providers prior to the full patient and staff move on Saturday April 27th, when the operations transfer from its former location.

Since its founding in Boston’s West End by Dr. Josiah Spaulding in the late 1960s at the beginning of the disability rights movement in Massachusetts, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital (originally opened as Massachusetts Rehabilitation Hospital) has helped thousands of patients and families recover from complex conditions and serious illnesses such as stroke, severe burns, limb-loss, spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury. The hospital has grown into a national leader in rehabilitative care and research as a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital and the only rehabilitation hospital in New England recognized as a best hospital by US News and World Reports each year since 1995. Annually, Spaulding serves more than 2,500 inpatients and almost 30,000 outpatients per year.

Despite the tremendous recognition, the building that Spaulding had called home since its inception had reached its capacity for updating and an urgent replacement facility was needed. With broad support from government and the community, Spaulding embarked on an ambitious project to build a patient centered state-of-the-art hospital in the Charlestown Navy Yard that would a model of inclusive and sustainable design.

“Spaulding is a beacon of hope and healing for people around the state and the world,” said Governor Deval Patrick. “I congratulate them on opening this extraordinary rehabilitative care and state-of-the-art research facility.”

The new facility brings a broad range of key innovations to its design as well as enabling new methods of delivering care. An aquatic therapy center was created with a large therapy pool and a smaller resistance training pool which will serve inpatients, outpatients and community programming. The exterior has an extensive outdoor therapy garden to allow clinicians to work with patients to practice navigating on a variety of surfaces such as sand, cobblestones, concrete stairs and a boardwalk. Nature, light and the outdoors were incorporated into the design whenever possible to aid in the healing process for patients. Each patient room is private and lines the exterior of the building so they receive the maximum amount of natural light possible. From the floor markings to room signage, all aspects of the hospital were created to be both functional and provide therapeutic value.

Learn more about the new Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Boston by visiting www.newspauldinghospital.org

View coverage of the opening of the new Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital from The Boston Globe.

MGH Institute Prerequisites for the Health Care Professions: Spaces Still Available

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare Contributes $1 Million to The One Fund

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

For Immediate Release: April 22, 2013

BOSTON, MA – Partners HealthCare has announced it is committing $1 million to the newly created One Fund Boston to help the families who lost loved ones and the victims of the Boston Marathon tragedy. This donation is made in honor and recognition of the employees of the Partners HealthCare system who live and work in this community and dedicate themselves everyday to our mission, enabling our hospitals to deliver some of the best patient care in the world.

“This donation on behalf of the 60,600 men and women of Partners HealthCare will help fulfill the vision of the Mayor and Governor in delivering much needed financial support directly to the victims and families as they recover both physically and psychologically,” said Gary L. Gottlieb, MD, President and CEO of Partners HealthCare.

Gottlieb added, “As the stories of heroism and courage continue to unfold, we are reminded of how fortunate we, the Boston community, are to play host to so many great medical institutions. The staffs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston Medical Center, Children’s Hospital Boston, Mount Auburn Hospital, Tufts Medical Center, the first responders and others provided the emergency care that saved lives.”

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino last week announced the formation of The One Fund Boston, the purpose of which is to raise money to help those families most affected by the tragic events that unfolded during Monday’s Boston Marathon. For more information visit www.onefundboston.org.

Partners HealthCare is an integrated health care system, founded by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, that offers patients a continuum of coordinated and high-quality care. In addition to its two academic medical centers, the Partners system includes community and specialty hospitals, a managed care organization, a physician network, community health centers, home health and long-term care services, and other health care entities. Partners HealthCare is committed to patient care, research, teaching, and service to the community. Partners is one of the nation’s leading biomedical research organizations and is a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Partners HealthCare is a non-profit organization.

President and CEO Gary Gottlieb to deliver CleanMed plenary talk

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Gary Gottlieb, MD, President and CEO of Partners HealthCare, will speak at the upcoming CleanMed 2013 conference, taking place in Boston later this month. Gottlieb will deliver a plenary presentation along with three other leaders in sustainability efforts throughout the city of Boston. The four speakers will reflect on how climate change is transforming health care and how the city and its business leaders can prepare for the future as well as make serious commitments to operating more efficiently.

Find more information about the CleanMed 2013 conference.

Partners HealthCare has made a commitment to making more sustainable choices as part of a strategic master energy plan. By 2015, Partners will have reduced its energy consumption across the system by 25%, compared with 2008.

Learn more about our work in sustainability.

Application Deadline for Master of Science in Health Professions Education is May 1 (Faculty & Students)

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The deadline to apply for the MGH Institute of Health Professions Master of Science in Health Professions Education (MSHPEd) September 2013 cohort is May 1. Specifically designed for the expert clinician who already teaches, this program provides a unique context to study educational best practices in an interprofessional setting. Participants attend two weekend-long intensive seminars each year and complete the rest of their courses online. Part-time study is acceptable, and tuition remission is available. Contact Deb Navedo or Mary Knab for additional details, and visit the MSHPEd program page for the online application.

Better Living March 2013: Open Circle: Social and Emotional Learning

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Students in Boston Public Schools are taking part in Open Circle, which empowers them to promote positive behaviors and healthy relationships at school and in their community. During Open Circle time, students are able to address differences and resolve issues, improve friendships, and create a strong sense of community. Students who take part in the program can resolve conflicts and manage their emotions better – ultimately cutting down on the number of classroom disruptions and freeing up more time for learning. A grant from Partners HealthCare is funding this program.

Better Living March 2013: Women’s After Care Clinic and Passageways: Domestic Violence Program

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

When a woman is a victim of domestic abuse, she can find assistance through the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Passageways and the Women’s After Care Clinic. Through these programs, clinicians and advocates provide patients a chance to talk about their experiences, seek help in healing, and sometimes plan a way for them to escape the violence.

Better Living March 2013: Open Doors to Health: Patient Navigators

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Specially trained patient navigators in the Open Doors to Health program help patients to understand the importance of colonoscopies and walk them through the process, providing education and logistical support. Since 2009, the collaboration among Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Dana-Faber Cancer Center, Brookside Community Health Center, and Southern Jamaica Plain Health Center has resulted in 70 percent of referred patients successfully completing exams, up from 40 percent.

Better Living March 2013: Open Doors to Health: Patient Navigators

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Better Living March 2013: Healthy Brain, Healthy You

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Although many people dissociate brain function from how they look and feel, the health of one’s brain is directly connected to how one appears and enjoys daily life. Adults can continue to grow new neurons and improve their brains, namely by exercising regularly and doing things that make them happy. Two researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital explain way people can improve brain function, and enhance their lives every day.

Better Living with Liz Walker

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Through an exciting partnership with Partners HealthCare, Liz Walker and the Better Living team are highlighting community health programs at Partners hospitals and the health centers. The pieces represent our commitment to the communities we serve and to enhancing access to health care, building tomorrow’s health care workforce, and improving the health and well-being of our communities through prevention.

Neighborhood Health Plan, Partners HealthCare and the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers Announce $125,000 Grant to Manet Community Health Center in Quincy

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

March 26, 2013 (Quincy, MA) —Neighborhood Health Plan (NHP) and Partners HealthCare today announced a $125,000 grant given to Manet Community Health Center through the Partnership for Community Health. The grant is part of a total of $4.25 million in a first round of grants that will benefit all 49 members of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers.

With four locations in Quincy and one in Hull, Manet Community Health Center will use the grant to expand its Nurse Care Management and Care Coordination Program by increasing the program’s hours of service, securing a Nurse Care Management Leader, and establishing a Care Coordination Review Team. These improvements will help enable the CHC to reach Level 3 accreditation of the Massachusetts' Patient-Centered Medical Home Initiative.

“I am very pleased that a prestigious organization such as Partners HealthCare has recognized the value that Manet Community Health Center brings to Quincy and the South Shore,” said House Majority Leader Ronald Mariano.

Each of the 49 CHCs awarded a grant have chosen a project related to infrastructure improvement that will allow them to continue their efforts to reduce barriers to access, promote health equity and provide care for patients in their communities.

In this first round of funding, grants were awarded in four categories:

Health Information Technology Reporting: For the purchase, implementation and training of staff on new information technology systems designed to enhance patient care and improve patient health through the collection and application of valid and timely health data.
Meaningful Use Training: For staff training on how to meet a core set of federally-mandated objectives for using health technology to improve the delivery of health care and the health outcomes of patients. Under the national health reform law, achieving Meaningful Use determines whether a health care organization can receive incentive payments from the federal government for care provided to Medicaid and Medicare patients.
Medical Coding Training: To assist health centers in meeting new coding requirements established by the Affordable Care Act. This funding provides clinicians with the necessary knowledge and skills for accurately documenting the complexity of care among their patient populations, and to ensure the necessary revenue to support that care.
Training and Capacity Building for Performance Improvement: To provide opportunities for health center staff teams to participate in structured Performance Improvement programs. These teams gain the knowledge and competencies critical for building and sustaining quality improvement across their organizations.

During the next 15 years, the Partnership for Community Health will provide up to $90 million in grant funding to CHCs to develop and launch measurable programs that enhance health outcomes, service, efficiencies and quality of care. Grants will focus on projects that support expanded programs and improve the infrastructure of CHCs.

“Neighborhood Health Plan’s mission is rooted in providing better access to health care for underserved populations throughout the state,” said NHP President and CEO Deborah C. Enos. “This first round of grants is vital in our effort to enhance our support for the community health centers that care for so many of our members.”

"This first round of grants will help CHCs prepare for the changes that health reform has brought, while allowing them to continue delivering their innovative care to the more than 800,000 patients they serve statewide,” said the League’s President and CEO James W. Hunt, Jr.

“NHP, Partners, and the League’s support helps us in our efforts to provide the best possible care available to our patients,” said Manet Community Health Center’s CEO Henry Tuttle. “We look forward to using the grant funding to serve the needs of Quincy’s diverse population.”

After the first round of grants, the CHCs will be eligible to apply for grants through a competitive application process.

The following 49 CHCs received a first round grant:

Baystate Medical Center Health Centers, Springfield
Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program
Bowdoin Street Health Center, Dorchester
Brockton Neighborhood Health Center
Brookside Community Health Center, Jamaica Plain
Cambridge Health Alliance Health Centers, Cambridge, Somerville, Malden and Revere
Caring Health Center, Springfield
CHP Health Center, Great Barrington, Lee and Pittsfield
Codman Square Health Center, Dorchester
Community Health Center of Cape Cod, Falmouth, Mashpee and Bourne
Community Health Center of Franklin County, Greenfield, Orange and Turners Falls
Community Health Connections Family Health Centers, Fitchburg, Gardner and Leominster
Dimock Community Health Center, Roxbury
Dorchester House Multi-Service Center
Duffy Health Center, Hyannis
East Boston Neighborhood Health Center
Edward M Kennedy Community Health Center, Worcester, Framingham and Clinton
Family Health Center of Worcester
Fenway Community Health Center, Boston
Geiger Gibson Community Health Center, Dorchester
Greater Lawrence Family Health Center
Greater New Bedford Community Health Center
Greater Roslindale Medical & Dental Center
Harbor Community Health Center - Hyannis, Hyannis and Harwich
Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center, Dorchester
HealthFirst Family Care Center, Fall River
Hilltown Community Health Centers, Huntington and Worthington
Holyoke Health Center, Holyoke and Chicopee
Island Health Care, Edgartown, Martha's Vineyard
Joseph M Smith Community Health Center, Allston and Waltham
Lowell Community Health Center
Lynn Community Health Center
Manet Community Health Center, Quincy and Hull
Martha Eliot Health Center, Jamaica Plain
Mattapan Community Health Center
MGH Community Health Associates Health Centers, Charlestown, Chelsea, Everett and Revere
Neponset Health Center, Dorchester
North End Waterfront Health, Boston
North Shore Community Health, Peabody, Salem and Gloucester
Outer Cape Health Services, Harwich, Orleans, Provincetown and Wellfleet
Roxbury Comprehensive Community Health Center
South Boston Community Health Center
South Cove Community Health Center, Chinatown and Quincy
South End Community Health Center, Boston
Southern Jamaica Plain Health Center
Springfield Health Services for the Homeless
The Family HealthCare Center at SSTAR, Fall River
Upham's Corner Health Center, Dorchester
Whittier Street Health Center, Roxbury

This announcement was covered by The Boston Globe.

About Neighborhood Health Plan

Neighborhood Health Plan (NHP), a Massachusetts-based not-for-profit corporation, is fully licensed by the Massachusetts Division of Insurance as a health maintenance organization and has provided comprehensive health services since 1986. An NCQA-accredited managed care organization, NHP serves MassHealth, Commonwealth Care, Commonwealth Choice, and fully insured commercial members across the Commonwealth. By working closely with the MassHealth program and commercial purchasers, and by partnering with community health centers and other providers, NHP grew rapidly from a few thousand members in the late 1980s to approximately 250,000 members today throughout Massachusetts. Headquartered in Boston, NHP serves members who have access to a provider network of more than 4,000 primary care practitioners, over 13,400 specialists, and 65 teaching, community, and specialty hospitals. Our network includes nationally known, major academic medical centers such as Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Children’s Hospital Boston, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Tufts Medical Center, and major medical groups such as Atrius Health/Harvard Vanguard and Lahey Clinic. Neighborhood Health Plan is a member of Partners HealthCare, which was founded by Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. For more information, visit nhp.org.

About Partners HealthCare

Partners HealthCare is an integrated health care system, founded by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, that offers patients a continuum of coordinated and high-quality care. In addition to its two academic medical centers, the Partners system includes community and specialty hospitals, a managed care organization, a physician network, community health centers, home health and long-term care services, and other health care entities. Partners HealthCare is committed to patient care, research, teaching, and service to the community. Partners is one of the nation’s leading biomedical research organizations and is a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Partners HealthCare is a non-profit organization.

About the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers

Established in 1972, the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers (“the League”) is the statewide association representing and serving the needs of the state’s 49 community health centers through grassroots advocacy; technical assistance with state and federal health regulatory and policy issues; promotion and management of clinical quality initiatives; training and education for administrators, clinicians and board members; help with health center technology development; and work with local health advocacy organizations seeking to open health centers in their communities. The League also serves as an information source on community-based health care to policymakers, opinion leaders and the media.

Partners HealthCare, Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers Collaborate to Strengthen Health Centers and Communities

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Boston, MA - Partners HealthCare (Partners) and the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers (League) are working together on an exciting partnership to help strengthen community health centers and to try to better meet the needs of patients. Through this collaboration, Partners is providing critical funding support for 16 Community HealthCorps Navigators who are currently serving at health centers in the Greater Boston area.

“These HealthCorps Navigators are helping the health centers to engage more deeply with their patients and provide specific services that can help patients live healthier lives,” said Matt Fishman, Vice President for Community Health, Partners HealthCare. “These kinds of collaborations with the health centers and the League offer innovative ways to connect with patients and make a positive difference in their lives, and to improve the health of entire communities.”

Community HealthCorps is an extension of AmeriCorps, and has been a program of the National Association of Community Health Centers since 1995. The League has participated in the program since 2004, recruiting high school or equivalent and college graduates to serve as community health promoters for one year. Currently, the program is also actively recruiting veterans. During their service, the navigators work closely with health center staff on projects that include promoting health education, patient access, developing fitness programs that will increase the daily physical activity of children, and sharing practical, nutritious cooking tips and recipes with families.

“This program provides benefits to both the Navigators and the health centers,” said James W. Hunt, Jr., President and CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers. “The Navigators are a tremendous resource for the centers, and the centers provide a hands-on learning environment for young people with an interest in community-based health care. Partners’ investment in and commitment to this initiative has allowed us to expand the program to more health centers, patients and young recruits.”

Since 2007, 52 individuals have participated in the League’s Community HealthCorps program and explored health care as a possible career. Of those members, 19 went on to enroll in medical school and another 8 are currently working in health-care related fields.

Health Centers that are currently hosting Community HealthCorps Navigators include:

Brockton Neighborhood Health Center (2)
Brookside Community Health Center
Dorchester House Multi-Service Center
Codman Square Health Center
Family Health of Worcester
Manet Community Health Center (2)
Neponset Health Center
South End Community Health Center
Martha Eliot Health Center (2)
Southern Jamaica Plain Health Center (3)
South Boston Community Health Center

About the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers
Established in 1972, the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers (“the League”) is the statewide association representing and serving the needs of the state’s 49 community health centers through grassroots advocacy; technical assistance with state and federal health regulatory and policy issues; promotion and management of clinical quality initiatives; training and education for administrators, clinicians and board members; help with health center technology development; and work with local health advocacy organizations seeking to open health centers in their communities. The League also serves as an information source on community-based health care to policymakers, opinion leaders and the media.

Better Living with Liz Walker March 2013 Preview

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

On Thursday, March 21st at 7:30 pm Liz Walker will feature Partners Community Health and other exciting initiatives across the system on her TV show: Better Living with Liz Walker. It is the first installment of three shows airing in 2013.

Watch this video to see what is coming up on the first show.

Join Partners HealthCare Center for Connected Health's Joseph Kvedar, MD, for a Tweet Chat on Patient Engagement

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Join Joseph Kvedar, MD, Director of the Partners HealthCare Center for Connected Health, for a Tweet Chat on Patient Engagement in Connected Health on March 20th, 12:30-1:00 PM ET . Use the hashtag #cHealthchat to participate. Join in, ask your questions, and share your thoughts on the topic.

#cHealthchat

Partners HealthCare, Fallon Community Health Plan reach new agreement

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

BOSTON?Partners HealthCare and Fallon Community Health Plan (FCHP) announced that they have entered into an agreement that will give FCHP members full access to Partners HealthCare hospitals, including Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and their respective physicians.

Effective Jan. 1, FCHP members enrolled in the plan’s “Select Care” product have unrestricted access to Massachusetts General and Brigham and Women’s hospitals. Although the FCHP network already includes many Partners physicians and hospitals, until this year, FCHP Select Care members could only visit Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women Hospital for a second opinion or specialty procedure.

The chief executives of both Partners HealthCare and FCHP, pioneers in patient-centric, health care innovations, said the partnership reflects a new era in which health plans and providers need to work together to provide better value by making care more affordable and accessible.

“This contract with Partners HealthCare will give our Select Care members full access to one of the best health care systems in the world, giving them more choice while still holding down costs for FCHP employer customers,” said FCHP President and CEO Patrick Hughes. “It’s a win for employers, consumers and the marketplace as it strives to meet the challenges of a new imperative – great but affordable health care.”

“Meeting the demand for improved but affordable and accessible patient care is a challenge that must be addressed,” said Partners Healthcare President and CEO Gary L. Gottlieb. “As we redesign our care model to meet that challenge, we are excited to partner with a health plan that has an appetite for innovation that matches our own.”

About Partners HealthCare

About Fallon Community Health Plan

Founded in 1977, Fallon Community Health Plan is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit health care services organization. From innovative health insurance products available throughout Massachusetts for all populations, to unique health care programs and services for seniors, FCHP supports the diverse and changing needs of all those it serves. FCHP has consistently ranked among the nation’s top health plans, and is the only health plan in Massachusetts to have been awarded “Excellent” accreditation by the National Committee for Quality Assurance for its HMO, Medicare Advantage and Medicaid products.

Partners, Mass General commit $3 million to upgrade Martha's Vineyard Hospital's Windemere Nursing and Rehabilitation Center

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Martha's Vineyard Hospital's Windemere Nursing and Rehabilitation Center will soon receive much needed funding for enhancements to the building's exterior. Massachusetts General Hospital and Partners HealthCare have committed $3 million to Windemere for updates to its deteriorating facade and for replacing windows, among other improvements. The island's weather has worn down many parts of the outside of the building. Officials say the updates will improve the quality of life for residents.

Martha's Vineyard Hospital is a member of Partners HealthCare.

Read more from The Martha's Vineyard Times.

Brigham and Women's Hospital team performs face transplant on Vermont woman

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

In February 2013, Carmen Blandin Tarleton underwent a full face transplant procedure at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Tarleton, a registered nurse and mother of two from Vermont, was severely disfigured by her estranged husband in 2007 when he beat her and doused her in industrial strength lye, resulting in burns over 80% of her body. She has undergone more than 50 surgeries since the incident.

A team of 30 surgeons worked to perform the face transplant during a 15-hour surgery. At first her body rejected the new face, but a powerful medication was able to overcome the rejection. Tarleton will need to take anti-rejection medication for the rest of her life.

Tarleton's face transplant was the fifth such procedure performed at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Find media coverage from The Boston Globe and The Boston Herald.

MGH Institute of Health Professions announces application deadline for Masters program, application review for PhD program

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The MGH Institute of Health Professions has announced important dates for the application to two of its programs:

MGH Institute PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences---Application review begins March 1

The PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences at the MGH institute of Health Professions is designed for clinically certified health care professionals who wish to acquire the advanced knowledge and skills to conduct clinical research with an emphasis on assessing clinical outcomes in rehabilitation. Full funding is available for up to six qualified candidates. Application review begins March 1.

Graduates from the program are well prepared to pursue a research-oriented career in academic, research, and/or health care settings.

One of fewer than 20 such programs in the country, the MGH Institute program provides students the opportunity to work with internationally renowned experts in the heart of the U.S. medical community.

A hallmark of the program is the interdisciplinary composition of its faculty, curriculum, and student body. Students will come from a mix of rehabilitation-related disciplines, including but not limited to physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, rehabilitation nursing, and/or physiatry/rehabilitation medicine.

For more information, visit www.mghihp.edu/phd or call (617) 726-8008.

MGH Institute Master of Science in Health Professions Education---Application deadline: April 1

Responding to the call for innovative educational reform and collaborative leadership in the health professions, the MGH Institute is launching a new Master of Science in Health Professions Education. This part-time, online program is designed for credentialed health professionals and others involved in health professionals education who wish to enhance their teaching and curriculum development abilities.

This innovative master’s program is designed for credentialed health professionals who wish to improve their teaching methods.

The 33-credit program addresses core educator competencies – with the ultimate goal of effectively preparing the next generation of health profession leaders.

Learn more about the Master of Science in Health Professions Education at the MGH IHP.

Neighborhood Health Plan, Partners HealthCare and the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers Announce $4.25 Million in First Round Grants for CHCs

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

January 14, 2013 (Brockton, MA and Lawrence, MA) —Neighborhood Health Plan (NHP) and Partners HealthCare today announced they are providing a total of $4.25 million in a first round of grants through the Partnership for Community Health to all 49 community health centers (CHCs) that are members of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers (“the League”). Two announcements were made, one at the Brockton Neighborhood Health Center and one at the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center, two of the 49 first-round grantees.

The CHCs have each chosen a project related to infrastructure improvement that will allow them to continue their efforts to reduce barriers to access, promote health equity and provide care for patients in their communities. Every CHC in Massachusetts that applied received a grant.

During the next 15 years, the Partnership for Community Health will provide up to $90 million in grant funding to CHCs to develop and launch measurable programs that enhance health outcomes, service, efficiencies and quality of care. Grants will focus on projects that support expanded programs and improve the infrastructure of CHCs.
In this first round of funding, grants were awarded in four categories:

Health Information Technology Reporting: For the purchase, implementation and training of staff on new information technology systems designed to enhance patient care and improve patient health through the collection and application of valid and timely health data.
Meaningful Use Training: For staff training on how to meet a core set of federally-mandated objectives for using health technology to improve the delivery of health care and the health outcomes of patients. Under the national health reform law, achieving Meaningful Use determines whether a health care organization can receive incentive payments from the federal government for care provided to Medicaid and Medicare patients.
Medical Coding Training: To assist health centers in meeting new coding requirements established by the Affordable Care Act. This funding provides clinicians with the necessary knowledge and skills for accurately documenting the complexity of care among their patient populations, and to ensure the necessary revenue to support that care.
Training and Capacity Building for Performance Improvement: To provide opportunities for health center staff teams to participate in structured Performance Improvement programs. These teams gain the knowledge and competencies critical for building and sustaining quality improvement across their organizations.
“Neighborhood Health Plan’s mission is rooted in providing better access to health care for underserved populations throughout the state,” said NHP President and CEO Deborah C. Enos. “This first round of grants is vital in our effort to enhance our support for the community health centers that care for so many of our members.”

“Community health centers are a cornerstone of an accessible, high-quality, and cost-effective health care delivery system, particularly for the underserved,” said Gary L. Gottlieb, MD, President and CEO, Partners HealthCare. “The Partnership for Community Health is a crucial initiative that will support the state’s community health centers for years come in serving the needs of patients across the Commonwealth.”

"This first round of grants will help CHCs prepare for the changes that health reform has brought, while allowing them to continue delivering their innovative care to the more than 800,000 patients they serve statewide,” said the League’s President and CEO James W. Hunt, Jr.

“NHP, Partners, and the League’s support helps us in our efforts to provide the best possible care available to our patients,” said Executive Director of Brockton Neighborhood Health Center Sue Joss. “We look forward to using the grant funding to serve the needs of Brockton’s diverse population.”

“We are grateful for this funding and the long-term impact it will have on the health and well-being of the patients we serve," said Robert Ingala, CEO of Greater Lawrence Family Health Center.

After the first round of grants, the CHCs will be eligible to apply for grants through a competitive application process.

The following 49 CHCs received a first round grant:

Baystate Medical Center Health Centers, Springfield
Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program
Bowdoin Street Health Center, Dorchester
Brockton Neighborhood Health Center
Brookside Community Health Center, Jamaica Plain
Cambridge Health Alliance Health Centers, Cambridge, Somerville, Malden and Revere
Caring Health Center, Springfield
CHP Health Center, Great Barrington, Lee and Pittsfield
Codman Square Health Center, Dorchester
Community Health Center of Cape Cod, Falmouth, Mashpee and Bourne
Community Health Center of Franklin County, Greenfield, Orange and Turners Falls
Community Health Connections Family Health Centers, Fitchburg, Gardner and Leominster
Dimock Community Health Center, Roxbury
Dorchester House Multi-Service Center
Duffy Health Center, Hyannis
East Boston Neighborhood Health Center
Edward M Kennedy Community Health Center, Worcester, Framingham and Clinton
Family Health Center of Worcester
Fenway Community Health Center, Boston
Geiger Gibson Community Health Center, Dorchester
Greater Lawrence Family Health Center
Greater New Bedford Community Health Center
Greater Roslindale Medical & Dental Center
Harbor Community Health Center - Hyannis, Hyannis and Harwich
Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center, Dorchester
HealthFirst Family Care Center, Fall River
Hilltown Community Health Centers, Huntington and Worthington
Holyoke Health Center, Holyoke and Chicopee
Island Health Care, Edgartown, Martha's Vineyard
Joseph M Smith Community Health Center, Allston and Waltham
Lowell Community Health Center
Lynn Community Health Center
Manet Community Health Center, Quincy and Hull
Martha Eliot Health Center, Jamaica Plain
Mattapan Community Health Center
MGH Community Health Associates Health Centers, Charlestown, Chelsea, Everett and Revere
Neponset Health Center, Dorchester
North End Waterfront Health, Boston
North Shore Community Health, Peabody, Salem and Gloucester
Outer Cape Health Services, Harwich, Orleans, Provincetown and Wellfleet
Roxbury Comprehensive Community Health Center
South Boston Community Health Center
South Cove Community Health Center, Chinatown and Quincy
South End Community Health Center, Boston
Southern Jamaica Plain Health Center
Springfield Health Services for the Homeless
The Family HealthCare Center at SSTAR, Fall River
Upham's Corner Health Center, Dorchester
Whittier Street Health Center, Roxbury

Read media coverage of this announcement:

The Boston Globe

The Brockton Enterprise

The Lawrence Eagle Tribune

The balance of innovation: Providing people with what they don't know they want versus what they know they will find useful

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT

In an opinion piece for Healthcare IT News, Joseph Kvedar, MD, Director of the Center for Connected Health at Partners HealthCare, recently discussed two types of innovation, and the challenge in blancing the two. The first type of innovation is delivering a new product or idea that consumers could not have asked for because they could not have envisioned it. The second type is providing consumers with a new product that they demand based on existing technologies and ideas.

The Center for Connected Health has experience with both types of innovation, but the question, he says, is what type does health care need, and what is the best way to mix and balance both?

Partners HealthCare Center for Personalized Genetic Medicine to offer whole genome sequencing in January

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Partners HealthCare Center for Personalized Genetic Medicine (PCPGM) will be offering whole genome sequencing in January. Whole genome sequencing allows doctors to make more informed decisions about treatments for patients based on their own genetic makeup. For example, certain cancers can be addressed more effectively when a doctor knows the patient's unique molecular charateristics and how he or she may respond to specific treatments.

PCPGM will be one of only ten facilities nationwide to offer whole genome sequencing.

Read the full article from The Boston Globe.

Visit the PCPGM website.

Partners HealthCare helps Boston students learn to manage emotions and resolve conflicts

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT

CITY OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS Watch a video about the program.
Office of the Mayor
Thomas M. Menino

Mayor Thomas M. Menino today announced that Partners HealthCare, and its founding hospitals Brigham and Women’s and Massachusetts General Hospital, is committing $1 million to the Boston Public Health Commission for a collaborative effort among the two organizations and Boston Public Schools to implement a social and emotional learning curriculum for 7,000 students in 23 Boston public elementary and K-8 schools.

“This program will give Boston’s students another tool in their tool kits to help them to make good choices,” Mayor Menino said. “This is a great example of how we can all come together and find ways to support our kids.”

Coordinated by the Boston Public Health Commission’s Division of Violence Prevention, the collaborative will strengthen students’ skills so that they are empowered to promote positive behaviors and healthy relationships at school and in their community. By focusing on social and emotional learning, the organizations hope that educators can proactively address conflicts before they come to a head, instead of addressing the negative outcomes after the fact.

“Our goal is to help young people better understand their emotions and be able to talk about them and learn to manage them. This project will help young people develop skills for healthy, positive relationships,” said Gary Gottlieb, MD, President and CEO of Partners HealthCare. “By working with the Mayor and Boston Public Schools on this initiative, we want to support our young people in the classroom and in the community.”

The two-year grant will provide training and professional development for more than 750 teachers, teaching assistants and principals to implement the evidence-based Open Circle Curriculum. At the heart of the curriculum are 15- to 20-minute classroom meetings led by homeroom teachers twice per week. These interactive meetings include group discussions, role-playing, children’s literature, and activities to teach important skills such as listening, sharing, cooperating, speaking up, calming down, expressing anger appropriately, recognizing dangerous and destructive behavior, and problem solving. These lessons are further reinforced throughout the school day as all staff members integrate the promotion, modeling, and labeling of positive social and emotional skills into their teaching practice, their relationships with students and their relationships with colleagues and parents.

“Every day we look for innovative ideas and strategies that we can use to support our students,” said Boston Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Carol R. Johnson. “Social and emotional learning is critically important to our students so they can learn strategies that will help them manage their feelings and cultivate healthy relationships. We want each student to be their very best, and we look forward to working with our partners on this initiative to ensure that our students achieve all of their goals.”

Recent research has shown that social and emotional learning does more than improve behavior. It can also help students make significant gains in academic achievement — on average, a gain of 11 percentile points, according to a 2011 review of more than 200 studies published in the journal Child Development. Social and emotional learning also equips students with the skills that today’s employers consider important for the workforce of the future – communication, collaboration, cooperation, goal setting, problem solving, and persistence in the face of challenges.

The NoVo Foundation will work with the Boston Public Health Commission to examine the outcomes and impact of the new curriculum in schools.

Open Circle, a program of the Wellesley Centers for Women at Wellesley College, is a comprehensive, whole-school approach to developing safe, caring and highly engaging classroom and school communities. Open Circle improves school climate and helps address a broad range of challenging behaviors in school, from disruption of classroom instruction to teasing, bullying, and fighting.

The extensive program training for teachers and administrators will ensure a consistent approach, vocabulary and expectations for student behavior school-wide. Parents and caregivers will also learn Open Circle approaches to use at home through workshops at the schools and at Boston Public Schools’ Parent University. Additionally, schools will build capacity for sustained, continuous improvement in social and emotional learning through Open Circle peer coaches, parent group facilitators, and multi-departmental social and emotional learning leadership teams.

Find media coverage of this announcement from The Boston Herald and The Charlestown Patch.

Partners HealthCare is an integrated health system founded by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. In addition to its two academic medical centers, the Partners system includes community and specialty hospitals, community health centers, a physician network, home health and long-term care services, and other health-related entities. Partners is one of the nation’s leading biomedical research organizations and a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Partners HealthCare is a non-profit organization.

The Boston Public Health Commission, the country’s oldest health department, is an independent public agency providing a wide range of health services and programs. It is governed by a seven-member board of health appointed by Mayor Thomas M. Menino. Public service and access to quality health care are the cornerstones of the organization’s mission – to protect, preserve, and promote the health and well-being of all Boston residents, particularly those who are most vulnerable.

The Boston Public Schools, the birthplace of public education in the United States, serves more than 57,000 pre-kindergarten through grade 12 students in 128 schools.

Open Circle (open-circle.org), a program of the Wellesley Centers for Women at Wellesley College, is a leading provider of evidence-based social and emotional learning curriculum and professional development for Kindergarten through Grade 5. Since its inception in 1987, Open Circle has reached over two million children and trained over 13,000 educators.

MGH Institute of Health Professions celebrates 35 years

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The MGH Institute of Health Professions (IHP) is celebrating its 35th anniversary with a year-long campaign. The Institute was founded by Massachusetts General Hospital in 1977 and since its inception it has educated more than 4,400 students in health care fields such as physical therapy, nursing, communication sciences and disorders, health professions education, and many more. Today there are more than 1,200 students enrolled at the school.

The Institute recently threw itself a birthday party at which participants placed items in a time capsule, and learned of milestones at the school. View a slideshow of photos from the day and 35 interesting facts about the MGH IHP.

The MGH Institute of Health Professions is a member of Partners HealthCare.

Partners HealthCare's Heidi Rehm shares thoughts about national genetic variant database

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A new national database of genetic variants will facilitate genetic researchers around the country in their quests to learn about patients' diseases. Created by the National Institutes of Health National Center for Biotechnology Information, the ClinVar database will integrate dozens of databases and also become a home for data from clinical researchers around the country. This pooling of data will facilitate researchers in understanding genetic variants.

Heidi Rehm, director of the Laboratory of Molecular Medicine at the Partners HealthCare Center for Personalized Genetic Medicine, shared her thoughts on the ClinVar in a recent Nature article.

Massachusetts General Hospital physician wins Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT

James O'Connell, MD, a physician at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and cofounder of the Boston Health Care for the Homeless program, was recently awarded the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism. The prize is given out to individuals "whose lives and service have significantly improved the health of people in the United States or abroad."

O'Connell has been working with homeless patients for 27 years, and the program routinely sees more than 11,000 patients each year.

Read more from The Boston Globe.

8th Annual Personalized Medicine Conference: November 28-29

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Hosted By:
Partners HealthCare Center for Personalized Genetic Medicine
Harvard Medical School & Harvard Business School

Date: November 28-29, 2012
Location: The Joseph B. Martin Conference Center at Harvard Medical School, Boston

The past few years have witnessed a revolution in the understanding of health and disease, brought on in large part by the sequencing of the human genome and the creation of a map of human genetic variation. Personalized medicine is the translation of this knowledge to patient care by using genetic and genomic information in diagnosis, prognosis and treatment. The goal of personalized medicine is to provide the right diagnosis and treatment to the right patient at the right time at the right cost. Already there are abundant examples that personalized medicine is poised to transform healthcare by offering the possibility of improved health outcomes and the potential to make healthcare more cost-effective.

The eighth annual Personalized Medicine conference will take place November 28-29, 2012 at The Joseph B. Martin Conference Center at Harvard Medical School in Boston. This year's two-day conference will once again bring the most current updates on Personalized Medicine and how recent experience may guide and inform the policies, plans and actions of stakeholders among government, academe and the private sector. Widely considered the premier event in the field, the conference attracts over 600 national and international thought leaders.

For more information, and to register, please visit the conference website.

Brigham and Women's Hospital to celebrate first Research Day

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT

On November 15, BWH will host a day-long celebration of research at the hospital. The event features a breakfast hosted by hospital leaders, a poster session, and a keynote speech by well-known BWH physician and writer Atul Gawande, MD, MPH.

The day will culminate in an awards ceremony during which the first BRIght Futures Prize winner will be announced and receive $100,000. The three finalists for the award have been whittled down after six weeks of voting. The three final projects are:

"Exploring Genome Sequencing of Newborns"
"Using Electronic Health Records and Genetics to Personalize the Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis"
"Using Cutting-Edge Technology to Unravel the Mysteries of the Immune System"

Learn more about the award and the three finalists.

BWH's Research Day is open to hospital employees and the general public.

Learn more about BWH's Research Day.

Partners' John Messervy talks with Living on Earth about Partners' strategies for reducing energy consumption, design of new Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT

John Messervy, Director of Capital and Facility Planning for Partners HealthCare, recently shared some of the ways in which the new Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Boston has been built with a focus on a changing environment and sustainability with Living on Earth, an environmental news program distributed by Public Radio International. He also talked about Partners' commitment to reducing energey consumption by 25%.

The new Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, scheduled to open in April 2013, took advantage of native materials for use in the hospitals. The hospital is located in the Charlestown Navy Yard, which was at one time a busy ship-building community, and granite and timbers from the area have been used in construction. In addition, the hospital has been built in anticipation of rising sea levels and severe storms, and its generators and electrical equipment have been placed on the roof.

Hear more about the hospital's innovative design and Partners' sustainability efforts from Living on Earth.

Center for Connected Health receives grant to study effects of text messaging on pain management for cancer patients

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Partners HealthCare Center for Connected Health was recently awarded a grant to study the effects of text messaging and voice response technology on pain management in cancer patients. The McKesson Foundation research grant money will be used to study 122 lung cancer patients experiencing moderate to severe pain. Half of the patients will report their pain and receive direction on how to manage their pain via text message and interactive voice message, and half will receive tradition pain management techniques .

This is the second year in a row that the Center for Connected Health has won the McKesson Foundation grant.

City of Lynn and Partners HealthCare team up to help residents live healther lives

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Lynn MA– The Lynn Food and Fitness Alliance announced it has joined the Mass in Motion Initiative with a $240,000 grant over 4 years from Partners HealthCare. A new multi-media awareness campaign will support the Lynn Food and Fitness Alliance efforts over the next nine months and focus on raising awareness of the coalition’s work to help residents eat better and move more.

In order to make healthy choices easier for residents, Mass in Motion communities like Lynn are working to establish healthy dining recognition programs in restaurants, expand access to farmers markets, increase community gardening, and more. Communities also partner with schools to make children’s meals as nutritious as possible. To help people be more active, Mass in Motion communities also work to improve access to recreation facilities, and to encourage active living by improving conditions to support walking and bicycling, establishing open space plans to promote safe physical activity and supporting walk to school initiatives.

“We are grateful to Partners for providing the funding and additional resources to bring Mass in Motion to life in the City of Lynn and look forward to successfully and creatively helping city residents make healthy choices and build a stronger community,” said MaryAnn O’Connor, Health Director for the City of Lynn.

Launched in 2009 by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Mass in Motion is a state-wide obesity prevention initiative that stresses the importance of healthy eating and physical activity. This year, Partners support has helped to extend the Mass in Motion program to the communities of Revere, Chelsea and Salem, in addition to Lynn.

“We’re committed to working with our local partners to help improve the health of the communities we serve,” said Robert Norton, President and CEO of North Shore Medical Center, a member hospital of Partners HealthCare. “Along with expanding access to primary care, supporting prevention programs like Mass in Motion is a priority for our community health work. By collaborating with State and local leaders in Lynn and other communities, we are targeting one of the toughest public health challenges we face: obesity.”

Although Massachusetts compares favorably to most other states, overweight and obesity are still major public health challenges. Through environmental, systems, and policy changes, communities have the power to reduce obesity, asthma, heart disease, high blood pressure and cancer.

The celebration was held at the Lynn Community Health Center and included local and state legislators; Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy; Mary Ann O’Connor, Director Lynn Health Department; James Harrison, North Shore Regional Director of the Food Project; Jaime Corliss, Massachusetts Department of Public Health; Lori Abrams Berry, Executive Director of the Lynn Community Health Center; and Ronnie Sanders, Executive Director of Community Health for Partners HealthCare.

The multimedia campaign to support Mass in Motion in Lynn and three other communities can be seen on MBTA buses, subway stations, and commuter rail trains, as well as at Boston.com and at the Showcase Theatre in Revere, Massachusetts. Residents can view the campaign billboards in Lynn at Broadway Street and Lynnfield St. For more information on Mass in Motion, please visit: http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/consumer/wellness/healthy-living/mass-in-motion-english.html

About the Lynn Food and Fitness Alliance

Lynn Food and Fitness Alliance is an organized group of community members, non-profit associations and government officials who seek to improve the availability of healthy food and physical activity in Lynn. We hope to work on a variety of initiatives, including, among others, increasing the availability of Healthy Dining choices, increasing the number of community gardens, and getting youth involved in promoting healthy eating and physical activity.

About Partners HealthCare

Partners HealthCare is an integrated health system founded by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. In addition to its two academic medical centers, the Partners system includes community and specialty hospitals, community health centers, a physician network, home health and long-term care services, and other health-related entities. Partners is one of the nation’s leading biomedical research organizations and a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Partners HealthCare is a non-profit organization.

Partners reaches new agreement with Harvard Pilgrim

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare today announced that it has reached an agreement with Harvard Pilgrim Health Care (HPHC), which includes a new global payment arrangement, aimed at slowing the rate of cost growth for consumers. As a result of this agreement, Partners HealthCare is now participating in alternative payment models with all three of Massachusetts' largest commercial insurers. Additionally, Partners is working with the federal government as part of an innovative pilot initiative to slow cost growth for Medicare patients.

The HPHC agreement is a renegotiation of an existing contract and achieves two major objectives:

Partners is entering into HPHC’s global payment model, and will be required to meet or exceed quality measures for its patients. The global payment model includes a spending target that is in line with the state’s goal to keep cost growth at or below the increase in the state gross product as directed by the recently signed health care cost containment law.
Rate increases will be held in line with general inflation, which is presently about 2 - 3 percent.

“Our patients expect us to work with insurers, government leaders and members of the health care community to improve quality and slow cost growth,” said Gary L. Gottlieb, MD president and CEO of Partners HealthCare. “With this agreement, Partners is now participating in a new model of care with the three largest commercial insurers in the state. With our participation in the Medicare Pioneer ACO, Partners now cares for more than 500,000 individuals under new, alternative payment models that focus on value for our patients and their families.”

During the past year, Partners announced that it had renegotiated existing contracts with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts as well as Tufts Health Plan, entering Partners into a global payment and risk sharing arrangement with those insurers.

Partners was also recently selected as one of just 32 health care providers in the nation as a Pioneer Accountable Care Organization (ACO). The initiative, sponsored by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center, aims to transform the way that health care is delivered by providing Medicare patients with higher quality, while slowing cost growth through enhanced care coordination.

These agreements are possible as the result of sweeping initiatives that Partners has put into place to redesign the delivery of care at Partners to both improve quality and reduce costs. “Massachusetts can and should serve as a model for the rest of the country on cost control,” said Gottlieb, “as we are on improving quality and access to health care.”

Media Coverage

The Boston Globe

Boston Business Journal

About Partners HealthCare

Partners HealthCare is an integrated health system founded by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. In addition to its two academic medical centers, the Partners system includes community and specialty hospitals, a managed care organization, community health centers, a physician network, home health and long-term care services, and other health-related entities. Partners is one of the nation’s leading biomedical research organizations and a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Partners HealthCare is a non-profit organization.

Partners involved in statewide Health Information Exchange

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare is taking part in a Massachusetts Health Information Exchange, which will allow health care providers across the state to electronically share patients' health information in an effort to reduce health care costs, improve coordination of patient care, and keep patients safe. The exchange, launched earlier this week, is called the Massachusetts Health Information Highway.

Spaulding Rehab Hospital selected as Model System site for Burn Injury Rehabilitation and Brain Injury Programs

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, a member of Spaulding Rehabilitation Network, announced recently that both its Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Program and Burn Injury Rehabilitation Program have been selected as Model System sites by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). These selections combined with last year’s selection of Spaulding as a Spinal Cord Injury Model System Site make Spaulding one of only two providers nationally to be selected as a Model System in all three specialties at the same time.

These grants are awarded in five year cycles by NIDRR through an extremely selective process. Each site provides the highest level of comprehensive specialty services, from the point of injury through rehabilitation and community reentry.

Spaulding Rehabilitation Network is a member of Partners HealthCare.

Read more from Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital.

Partners HealthCare to award community health centers $90 million over 15 years

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Earlier this week, Partners HealthCare, Neighborhood Health Plan, and The Mass League of Community Health Centers announced a grant program to benefit community health centers (CHCs) in Massachusetts. Called Partnership for Community Health, the program will award $90 million over 15 years to CHCs.

The first round of grants represent $4.25 million in funding for 49 CHCs. The funds will be used to redesign care, improve technology, and rethink office procedures.

Read more from The Boston Globe.

Brigham and Women's Hospital hand transplant recipient tells of life one year later

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT

One year ago, Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) patient Richard Mangino received a double hand transplant, and has since regained the ability to swim, play guitar, and mow the lawn, as well as feel temperature and sensation.

Mangino, a Revere resident, contracted a severe case of sepsis in 2002 and lost his lower legs and lower arms. He was put on the list to receive a double hand transplant through BWH, and his doctors say he is recovering well, especially in his ability to undertake daily activities.

Read more about the strides Mangino has taken from The Boston Globe.

Partners HealthCare's John Messervy attended meeting of White House Council on Environmental Quality

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Hospitals around the country are taking part in the Healthier Hospitals Initiative (HHI), an effort to reduce the environmental impact of health care, reduce health care costs, and improve patient care. 500 hospitals are a part of the HHI, and leaders of the group met in July at the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

Partners HealthCare's John Messervy is the chair of the HHI, and he identified low-cost ways that hospitals can get involved with one of the six challenge areas:

engaging leadership
healthier foods
leaner energy
less waste
safer chemicals
smarter purchasing

Read more from Healthcare Finance News.

Neighborhood Health Plan becomes a member of Partners HealthCare

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT

On October 1, 2012 Neighborhood Health Plan (NHP) became a member of Partners HealthCare.

NHP is a licensed, not-for-profit Managed Care Organization (MCO) founded in 1986 by the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers and the Greater Boston Forum for Health Action. An NCQA-accredited managed care organization, NHP serves MassHealth, Commonwealth Care, Commonwealth Choice, and fully insured commercial members across the Commonwealth. Working in partnership with community health centers and other community-responsive providers, NHP offers its members access to health care through primary care physicians and specialists in primary care locations throughout Massachusetts.

Our Common Vision for Care

NHP and Partners HealthCare share a dedication to ensuring the delivery of high quality care to underserved populations now and into the future.

Commitment to providing high quality, culturally competent, accessible, compassionate care
Both organizations are deeply committed to community health centers (CHCs) and to the belief that CHCs are a cornerstone of a cost-effective health care delivery system – particularly for the underserved.
Combined experience will improve care coordination and ability to help curb health care costs
Together, NHP and Partners will have enhanced ability and flexibility to develop innovative patient and family-centered models of care and craft new initiatives aimed at better managing care of complex conditions, especially for underserved populations.
Stronger Support for Community Health Centers
This affiliation will strengthen CHCs and help in the development of new, more effective ways of providing care and offer innovative and affordable approaches to care and wellness.

Faulkner Hospital changes name to Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT

BOSTON, MA, OCTOBER 1, 2012— Today, it is with great pride that Faulkner Hospital announces its name is now Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital. For more than 100 years, Faulkner Hospital has met the needs of the surrounding community by offering highly skilled medical care to those in need. With this change, Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital is well positioned to continue its century-plus tradition as the community hospital of choice for years to come.

The two institutions have had a nearly 15 year affiliation that has allowed Faulkner to provide a tremendous amount of high quality services to the surrounding towns in a community hospital setting. Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital is a member of Partners HealthCare.

Read more about this change at http://www.brighamandwomensfaulkner.org

Neighborhood Health Plan, Partners HealthCare, and the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers Announce Up to $90 Million in Grants for CHCs

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Boston, October 1, 2012 —Neighborhood Health Plan (NHP), Partners HealthCare, and the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers (“the League”) launched today a new initiative that will bring significant resources and investments to the state’s community health centers (CHCs) in their continued efforts to reduce barriers to access, promote health equity, and provide care for patients in their communities.

During the next 15 years, Partnership for Community Health will provide up to $90 million in grant funding to CHCs to develop and launch measurable programs that enhance health outcomes, service, efficiencies and quality of care. Grants will focus on projects that support expanded programs and improve the infrastructure of CHCs.

“Both NHP and Partners are deeply committed to the belief that CHCs are the cornerstone of an accessible, high-quality, and cost-effective health care delivery system, particularly for the underserved,” said NHP President and CEO Deborah C. Enos. “This new initiative is vital in our effort to enhance our support for the CHCs that care for so many of our members.”

“CHCs are among our most important health care assets,” said President and CEO of Partners Gary L. Gottlieb, MD. “Partnership for Community Health will help NHP and Partners continue our mission to support CHCs as they continue to improve access to care and promote health equity for the underserved.”

"This new initiative will help CHCs prepare for the upcoming changes that health reform will bring, while allowing them to continue delivering their innovative care to the more than 800,000 patients they serve statewide,” said the League’s President and CEO James W. Hunt, Jr.

In its first round of grants, Partnership for Community Health will provide a total of $4.25 million in grants to each of the 49 CHCs that are members of the League to fund initiatives that will help prepare CHCs for patient centered medical home, state payment reform and federal health reform requirements.

After the first round of grants, the CHCs will be eligible to apply for grants through a competitive application process.

Partnership for Community Health’s grant making board includes representatives of NHP, Partners, and the League.

NHP recently became a member of Partners HealthCare. Learn more about Neighborhood Health Plan and Partners HealthCare's vision for the future.

Find a fact sheet that explains more about available funding and who is eligible for the grants.

Read an article about this announcement from The Boston Globe.

About Neighborhood Health Plan

About Partners HealthCare

About the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers

Former Brigham and Women's Hospital researcher recipient of Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Roy Calne, a former Brigham and Women's Hospital researcher and surgeon, was recently awarded the The Lasker~DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award. The award, one of the most prestigious that a researcher can win, honors investigators whose contributions have improved the clinical treatment of patients.

Calne won the award with fellow scientist Thomas E. Starzl for their contributions to the field of liver transplantation. Through their discoveries, thousands of patients with end-stage liver disease have lived normal lives.

When Calne worked at BWH in the early 1960s, it was known as The Peter Bent Brigham Hospital. He is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Cambridge.

Partners HealthCare named as the Top Charitable Contributor by Boston Business Journal

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Boston Business Journal announced today that Partners HealthCare earned the top spot on its list of top charitable contributors with total Massachusetts giving of more than $30 million. The award was given out at the paper's annual Corporate Citizenship Summit, which highlights corporate charitable giving.

View photos from the 2012 BBJ Corporate Citizenship Summit.

The Kraft Center for Community Health celebrates launch of new website

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Kraft Center for Community Health is celebrating the recent launch of its new website, www.kraftcommunityhealth.org.

The Kraft Center for Community Health, established at Partners HealthCare in 2011 by a generous gift from the Kraft family, aims to develop clinician-leaders that are committed to careers in community-based care in order to expand access to high quality, cost effective health care for underserved populations.

In July, the Kraft Center welcomed its first classes of Kraft Center Fellows and Practitioners. These talented physicians and nurses will work at community health centers in the Greater Boston area for a two-year period while also participating in a range of formal and informal learning experiences related to health care in a community setting.

Physicians interested in becoming a Kraft Center Fellow can find more information here.

Learn more about the various opportunities The Kraft Center offers to clinicians and the Center’s work to improve health care in our communities.

Partners President and CEO Gary Gottlieb, MD, named to list of 'Most Influential People in Health Care'

Fri, 31 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Partners President and CEO Gary Gottlieb, MD, was recently named to Modern Healthcare's annual list of Most Influential People in Healthcare. Brigham and Women's Hospital surgeon and author Atul Gawande, MD, was also named to the list.

The list of 100 people is chosen by peers and an expert panel, and those named are considered to be the "most influential individuals in the industry, in terms of leadership and impact."

Find the full list of the Most Influential People in Healthcare from Modern Healthcare.

The intersection of population health management and information technology

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Joseph Kvedar, MD, Director of the Center for Connected Health at Partners HealthCare, recently wrote a commentary for Information Weekly about the challenge of getting health care providers and IT leaders to plan for population health management. He is confident, thought, that the use of technology to better manage patients' conditions from outside of the the doctor's office, will be part of successful population health management of the future.

One of the main challenges that doctors and health providers face today is the inability to effectively collect, store, and use data in a way that would facilitate improved population health management.

To address this need, health systems across the country are investing in new technology infrastructures to help address data needs, and ultimately better manage patients' health care. It is a daunting task, but one the Kvedar insists that providers must embrace to better serve patients.

Read the full commentary from Information Week.

2012 Connected Health Symposium: October 25-26, Boston, MA

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare's Center for Connected Health is hosting its Annual Connected Health Symposium, October 25-26, 2012 in Boston, MA. This year's theme is Innovations to Build Value, Accountable Care, and Patient Engagement.

The Connected Health Symposium is a global destination event, a high-profile gathering of the most interesting thinkers on the planet. Be part of the preeminent international event for innovators operating at the crossroads of the Internet, mobile communications, and health.

For more information and to register, please visit the Symposium website.

New Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital recognized for sustainable design, awareness of environment

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The new Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Boston, set to open in early 2013, is being built using the latest environmentally friendly building materials, natural lighting, and sustainable techniques. The hospital is also taking into consideration the potential for sea levels to rise over the next century, especially because the hospital will be located on the edge of the Charlestown Navy Yard, overlooking the ocean.

This week, NPR's All Things Considered profiled Partners' efforts to build the new Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital with high storm surges in mind, with mechanical equipment and patient rooms located on the upper levels of the building.

In April, A Boston Globe column recognized Partners HealthCare and Spaulding's forward thinking in advance of possible climate change.

Boston Business Journal's Champions in Health Care Award honors five Partners-affiliated individuals

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Boston Business Journal honored five individuals from Partners HealthCare members with its Champions in Health Care award, given out at a ceremony earlier today. In total 14 individuals and two employers received the award.

Representative Michael E. Capuano spoke at the event, during which awards were given in the following seven categories:

Administrator
Physician
Community Outreach
Innovator
Nurse
Lifetime Achievement
Employer

Partners congratulates the following people from across the system for being honored:

Lifetime Achievement Award

David E. Storto, President, Partners Healthcare at Home & Spaulding Rehabilitation Network
Michael J. Zinner, MD, Surgeon in-Chief and Chair of the Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital

Physician

Joseph Frolkis, MD, PhD, Vice Chair for Primary Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital

Nurse

Annie Lewis-O'Connor, Founder, Women's After Care Clinic, Brigham and Women's Hospital

Community Outreach

Joan Quinlan, Executive Director, MGH Center for Community Health Improvement

Find more information from The Boston Business Journal.

Technology entrepreneurs roll out new health care apps

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A new push is on for mobile and computer applications to help patients diagnose and manage their own medical issues, and ultimately live healthier lives. Many start up companies around Boston are jumping into the field, marketing to hospitals, consumers, and insurance companies.

Joseph Kvedar, MD, Director of The Center for Connected Health at Partners HealthCare, shared his thoughts about the new products and why start ups may be exactly the right type of company to be developing the new health-related apps.

Read the article from The Boston Globe.

Thomas H. Lee, MD, President of Partners Community Healthcare, Inc., shares thoughts about MA Health Reform

Thu, 16 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT

In a recent Health Affairs Blog post, Thomas H. Lee, President of Partners Community Healthcare, Inc. (PCHI) shared his thoughts about Massachusetts Health Reform and the perspective that Partners HealthCare has on the law as an academic provider. PCHI is Partners' physician network.

Titled "Massachusetts Health Care Reform: An Academic Provider’s Perspective," the blog post outlines some of the successes the state has had since it passed the 2006 law requiring every resident to have health insurance, details regarding what led up to this summer's cost-containment bill, and what the bill means to a provider like Partners. He also talks about some of the tactics that Partners has already been using to reduce costs and patient utilization.

Read the full Health Affairs Blog post.

Healthier Hospitals Initiative members speak at White House Council on Environmental Quality; John Messervy represents Partners HealthCare

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT

John Messervy, director of capital and facilities planning for Partners HealthCare, recently spoke in Washington D.C. at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Messervy is the chair of the Healthier Hospitals Initiative, a group of 500 hospitals across the country that have made a commitment to reducing their impact on the environment. The Initiative also recognizes that by using resources more wisely, health care will be contribute less to pollution-related illness.

The group celebrated the success it has had recently and discussed strategies for the future.

Read more from Modern Healthcare.

Partners HealthCare Center for Connected Health joins forces with CHS Health Services to connect remote employees with physicians at Partners hospitals

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Partners HealthCare Center for Connected Health has announced it will collaborate with CHS Health Services, Inc. to provide telemedicine health services to employees of Fortune 1000 companies. Patients would be connected with health care providers at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Patients will access specialists through Partners Online Specialty Consultations, Partners' electronic system for connecting patients with physicians at the two hospitals.

Initiatlly, the partnership will provide telemedicine services to employees who work in remote offices of Fortune 500 companies across the country.

Read more from The Boston Business Journal and Healthcare IT News.

Partners HealthCare Donates Pedometers for Boston Youth to Track Their Activity as Part of 'Boston Moves for Health'

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT

As part of Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s Boston Moves for Health initiative to improve the health and wellness of the city, Partners HealthCare has donated 600 pedometers to help Boston youth keep track of their steps this summer.

On Friday, July 20, Ronnie Sanders, executive director for community health for Partners HealthCare and Daphne Griffin, Boston’s Chief of Human Services and executive director, Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF), visited youth at the BCYF Mildred Avenue Community Center in Mattapan to see the pedometers in action (see photo to the right of kids using pedometers, being active).

The effort is part of the Boston Moves for Health initative to address obesity in the neighborhoods of Boston. The leaders of each BYCF group will track his or her steps using the pedometers each day this summer.

“Mayor Menino and his team at the Boston Public Health Commission have made a deep commitment to address obesity in the neighborhoods across our city and we are pleased to partner with them on this very tough public health issue through Boston Moves for Health,” said Matt Fishman, vice president for community health at Partners HealthCare. “By working together with all of the organizations that are responding to the Mayor’s challenge, we can help to prevent obesity and the chronic illnesses that can be associated with it and ultimately help people live healthier lives in healthier communities.”

Read the full press release from The Boston Public Health Commission.

Partners HealthCare supports health and nutrition of young children with $100K grant

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT

"Juicy Words" in Dudley Square

Ripe. Select. Scale. Sautee. Spices. What do these words have in common? They are “Juicy Words”, new vocabulary that young children are learning on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons at the Dudley farmers market in early language and literacy building activities led by Dudley Children Thrive, one of five Boston Children Thrive communities supported by Thrive in 5 and a grant from Partners HealthCare.

Thrive in 5, Boston’s early childhood movement, is using a $100,000 grant from Partners HealthCare to support health and nutrition-focused activities for families with young children in its five Boston Children Thrive communities. The funds build on Partners longstanding commitment to healthy eating and active living and addressing these issues as early in life as possible. Research is clear that a proper balance of nutrition in the first years of life is crucial for brain development and helps prevent childhood obesity.

“Good health and nutrition are critical building blocks to a child’s healthy development,” said

Jane Tewksbury, Executive Director of Thrive in 5 and Ronnie Sanders, Executive Director for Community Health for Partners HealthCare

Matt Fishman, Vice President for Community Health, Partners HealthCare. “But too often eating healthy is a challenge for many of the families in the neighborhoods we serve. Through our strong partnership with Thrive in 5 and the Boston Children Thrive communities we are working together to fulfill one of our top priorities in our community health work: prevention, and to find creative strategies that enable children and families to make healthy choices that ensure good health and well being."

“Juicy Words”, part of Dudley Children Thrive’s WordBuild campaign, is just one example of the creative ways that Boston Children Thrive neighborhoods are bringing health, nutrition and wellness to life while providing rich learning opportunities and resources for families to help young children be ready for kindergarten.

Read the full press release from The United Way, a founder of Thrive in 5.

Partners celebrates launch of Kraft Center for Community Health and Inaugural Fellowship Class

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT

At an event earlier this week, Partners celebrated the launch of the Kraft Center for Community Health by welcoming the first class of program participants who will practice in community health centers and care for people in low and moderate income communities.

The Kraft Center for Community Health aims to develop clinician leaders (physicians and nurses) that are committed to careers in community-based care in order to expand access to high quality, cost effective health care for underserved populations.

Click here to view a photo of the first class of five Fellows and Robert K. Kraft.

Massachusetts General and Brigham and Women's Both Ranked Top Ten Hospitals by U.S. News; MGH Ranked # 1 in the Nation

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT

BOSTON – Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), the founders of Partners HealthCare, rank among the nation’s top ten hospitals on the U.S. News & World Report annual Honor Roll of America’s Best Hospitals – with MGH earning the top spot (1). BWH once again made the top ten earning the ninth spot (9). This achievement makes Boston the only city in the United States with two hospitals ranked among the top ten on the Honor Roll. In all, six Partners HealthCare hospitals were recognized in the report. The rankings, now available online, will be published in the magazine's August issue as part of its 2012-2013 Best Hospitals guide.

“This is such a well deserved recognition. With a 200 year history of providing outstanding patient care, community service and groundbreaking medical research, the 23,000 men and women of MGH have achieved yet another historic milestone by earning the number one placement on the nation’s most prestigious list of hospitals,” said Partners President and CEO Gary L. Gottlieb, MD. “Brigham and Women’s Hospital, in a year filled with remarkable medical advances that have captured the attention of the nation, also earned special placement among the elite hospitals. Our hospitals set Boston apart as the only city in the country with two hospitals ranked among the top ten. Today’s recognition is a tribute to our doctors, nurses, researchers, educators and care teams working in our hospitals, our health centers and throughout our community in our local neighborhoods and around the world.”

Nationally, Partners HealthCare hospitals scored extremely well in the individual specialties rankings. BWH ranked among the top ten in Nephrology (kidney disease) for the sixth consecutive year, while also moving up to number two (2) in Gynecology. MGH was ranked among the top three in Diabetes & Endocrinology, Ear, Nose & Throat, Neurology & Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

McLean Hospital ranked second in Psychiatry, continuing to be the highest-ranking freestanding psychiatric hospital on the list.

Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital placed fifth in Rehabilitation. It was again the only New England rehabilitation hospital making the list.

MGH was among the top hospitals in the country in all sixteen specialties, including Cancer, Cardiology & Heart Surgery, Diabetes & Endocrinology, Ear Nose & Throat (in partnership with Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary), Gastroenterology, Geriatrics, Gynecology, Nephrology (kidney disease) Neurology & Neurosurgery, Ophthalmology(in partnership with Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary) , Orthopedics, Psychiatry, Pulmonology, Rehabilitation (in partnership with Spaulding), Rheumatology and Urology.

BWH ranked among the top ten hospitals in the country in seven categories; Cancer (in partnership with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute), Cardiology & Heart Surgery, Diabetes & Endocrinology, Gynecology, Nephrology, Pulmonology and Rheumatology.

U.S. News analyzed data on 4,852 medical centers to produce the national rankings. Fewer than 150 hospitals are ranked in at least one of the specialties and, of those, just 17 earned Honor Roll status.

The U.S. News regional hospital rankings complement the national rankings by including hospitals with solid performance nearly at the level of nationally ranked institutions. North Shore Medical Center (NSMC) and Newton-Wellesley Hospital (NWH) both earned regional recognition from U.S. News.

NSMC was recognized as high-performing in Geriatrics and Pulmonology and was ranked #18 in Massachusetts.

NWH was recognized as high-performing in Geriatrics, Orthopedics and Urology and was ranked #16 in Massachusetts.

Find the full list of U.S. News & World Report rankings.

Partners distributes grants to aid Summer Food Service Programs

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare is distributing $20,000 in grants benefiting Summer Food Service Programs that will help feed children from 14 communities throughout the summer. The programs are run by Project Bread and ensure that 2,700 kids will receive at least one healthy meal each day. Partners' commitment to the program doubled this year.

Meals are handed out at parks, community centers, and schools in many areas of Boston.

Read more from The Boston Globe and find a post on this topic on Connect with Partners.

Partners CIO James Noga named to list of top 25 Information Managers

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare's Chief Information Officer, James Noga, was recently named to a list of Top 25 Information Managers, published by Information Mangement.

Noga lists "big data analytics" as one of the major concerns of his position. Noga has served as the CIO for Partners since April 2011.

The list of Top 25 Information Managers spans many industries, including financial service, retail, insurance, manufacturing, and entertainment, in addition to health care. Find more information about the list.

Partners HealthCare supports Supreme Court decision to uphold many parts of the Affordable Care Act

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare stands with many other Massachusetts organizations in support of the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the individual mandate and other key provisions of the Federal Affordable Care Act.

“Today is an important day for millions of Americans who will now have access to health care coverage,” said Gary Gottlieb MD, President and CEO of Partners HealthCare. “Our state leaders can be proud of the example the Commonwealth has set in providing our citizens with primary and preventive care that will improve their health today and for the lives of generations to come.”

Under the slogan “Massachusetts Health Reform: Moving Forward”, stakeholders that worked together to pass Chapter 58 (the 2006 Massachusetts health reform law) convened at the State House to celebrate this victory and to reaffirm their commitment to the Massachusetts law that increased health coverage to 98% of the Massachusetts population.

In addition to Partners HealthCare, these included:

Health Care For All
The Massachusetts Medical Society
Associated Industries of Massachusetts
The Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers
The Massachusetts Hospital Association
1199 SEIU
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
Greater Boston Interfaith Organization
Massachusetts state officials

Read the full press release.

Partners CEO featured on CBS Evening News during segment about Massachusetts health care reform

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Gary Gottlieb, MD, President and CEO of Partners HealthCare, was recently featured on a segment of the CBS Evening News during a segment about health reform. Dr. Gottlieb comments about the success of Massachusetts health care reform, signed into law in 2006, and what the country should consider when looking to the state's health care reform as a model for the nation.

View the video by clicking below.

Brigham and Women's Hospital team performs New England's first total artificial heart implant

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Brigham and Women's Hospital announced today that a team of caregivers performed the first total artificial heart implant in New England for a patient in February 2012. The patient, Jim Carelli Jr., a retired high school teacher and track coach, received the implant as a bridge to a total heart transplant.

The ten-hour procedure was undertaken because Mr. Carelli suffered from amyloidosis of the heart, a severe condition that weakens the heart. The transplant list for a new heart can be as long as nine months, and doctors determined that Mr. Carelli did not have that much time. His condition had also severely affected his kidneys. Since the procedure earlier this year, Mr. Carelli's health has improved and he is on the waiting list for a heart and kidney transplant.

Read more and view video from Brigham and Women's Hospital, a founding member of Partners HealthCare.

See media coverage of this story from The Boston Globe, CBS News, WCVB, and WHDH.

Brigham and Women's Hospital leader featured in patient safety documentary

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Brigham and Women's Hospital's Chief Quality Officer, David Bates, MD, was recently featured in a documentary about patient safety. Surfing the Healthcare Tsunami: Bring Your Best Board™ explores some of the hot button issues facing the health care industry regarding quality and patient safety.

Bates was part of a national summit focused on ways to improve patient safety, specifically regarding the use of health information technology to reduce medical errors.

Read more from BWH Clinical & Research News.

Find the documentary, produced by the Texas Medical Institute of Technology.

Summer fellowship program aims to encourage minorities to enter medical field

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

This summer, ten minority students will have the chance to work at Brigham and Women's Hospital as part of the Summer Training in Academic Research and Scholarship (STARS) fellowship program. STARS aims to encourage minority students to consider the field of medicine as a career choice. Only five percent of the hospital's staff physicians are people of color, and the hospital is trying to increase that percentage so the staff better reflects the diverse community for which it cares.

STARS also gives the students the opportunity to work side-by-side with Harvard-trained physicians in research labs and through seminars.

Partners HealthCare Named one of Computerworld's 100 Best IT Employers for 2012

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

For the seventh consecutive year, Partners HealthCare has been named one of Computerworld’s “100 Best Places to Work in IT.” The distinction was earned as a result of initiatives like Partners ‘Connected Work’ program, which allows IT employees to be connected with one another on a daily basis. Those in the program are provided the necessary support and tools (VoIP phones, laptops, etc). More than 75% of staffers participate.

The Best Places to Work in Information Technology (IT) list is an annual ranking of the top 100 work environments for technology professionals by IDG’s Computerworld. The list is compiled based on a comprehensive questionnaire regarding company offerings in categories such as benefits, diversity, career development, training and retention. In addition, Computerworld conducts extensive surveys of IT workers, and their responses factor heavily in determining the rankings.

“Partners has been on the cutting edge of health care IT, and became one of the first provider networks in the country to require that 100 percent of doctors to have electronic medical records,” said James Noga, Chief Information Officer, Partners HealthCare. “The Computerworld survey shows that in addition to doing important work to benefit our patients, our IT department is a great place to nurture a career.”

For more than 40 years, Computerworld has been the leading source of technology news and information for IT influencers worldwide. Computerworld's award-winning Web site (Computerworld.com), twice-monthly publication, focused conference series, and custom research form the hub of the world's largest global IT media network.

Student Success Jobs Program honors 26 students at graduation

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Brigham and Women's Hospital's Student Success Jobs Program recently hosted a graduation ceremony for 26 of its students, most of whom will attend college in the fall. The program, an intensive year-round employment and mentoring internship program for students of Boston Public High Schools, helps students interested in careers in health care achieve their goals. A recently-announced Partners HealthCare scholarship program will provide students with up to $5,000 for four years.

Danny Do, of Dorchester, will attend Princeton in the fall with the hopes of becoming a physician. Do has been a student enrolled in the Student Success Jobs Program for three years. He's spent 10 hours each week working in an Alzheimer's lab and credits his time as an intern with the program with developing his interest in health. He will be the first member of his family to go to college.

Learn more bout Do's journey to college from The Boston Herald.

'AMIGO' suite brings new innovation to the operating room

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Patients who experience the new Advanced Multimodality Image Guided Operating (AMIGO) suite at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) will find many types of state-of-the-art imaging technology in one location. Multidisciplinary teams work together in one space to analyze a patient's progress or injury.

The idea of the AMIGO suite was conceived by Dr. Ferenc Jolesz of BWH. He wanted to provide patients a setting in which they could undergo imaging as part of their treatment to heal faster with fewer complications.

Jolesz was recently named a "Top 100 innovator" by The Boston Globe.

North Shore Cancer WALK/RUN on Sunday, June 24 raises money for area cancer patients

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Each year, the North Shore Cancer WALK/RUN raises money for cancer patients on the North Shore. This year's WALK/RUN takes place on Sunday, June 24 in Salem, MA..

More than 6,000 area residents come out each year to participate in the North Shore Cancer WALK/RUN, and since its inception 22 years ago, the event has raised more than $17 million.

The event fundraises for cancer patients receiving care at North Shore Medical Center in Salem and the Mass General/North Shore Cancer Center in Danvers, members of Partners HealthCare.

To get involved or sponsor a walker or runner, visit http://nsmcgiving.partners.org/.

Watch a video with highlights from last year's event.

Better Living: Boston Moves for Health

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

This summer, the city of Boston has launched its "Boston Moves for Health" campaign to encourage residents and people who work in the city to become more active and collectively lose one million pounds. The goal is to improve the health and fitness of the city as a whole. Boston's Mayor Tom Menino has made a commitment to hosting new and different events to promote increased physical activity. Employees and friends are banding together as groups and making healthier choices.

Better Living: Camp Harbor View

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Camp Harbor View, on Long Island in Boston Harbor, is more than just a summer camp. It offers hundreds of children from the city a chance to participate in the joys of summer camp in a naturally beautiful setting and counselors stay connected to campers and their families all year long. Partners HealthCare has sponsored the camp since it began in 2007, and is pleased to support its knowledge sharing lessons, skills building activities, and leadership opportunities for youth. Campers not only learn about each other but about health and wellness through many activities offered at the camp- from athletic games to learning about health care.

Better Living: Partners Scholarship Announcement

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare and its founding hospitals - Brigham and Women’s and Massachusetts General Hospitals - recently announced a ten year, $10 million commitment that supports educational opportunities and college completion for young people. This initiative builds on the success of the hospital youth achievement programs already in place at the hospitals, the Student Success Jobs Program (SSJP) at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the MGH Bicentennial Scholars at Mass General Hospital
The initiative will reach at least 400 students and includes annual college scholarships, paid internships, and social and academic supports that will help students interested in careers in science and medicine to enter into and graduate from college.

Meet two young people involved in these programs now, and hear what they have to say about their experiences.

Better Living: Home Base Program

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Home Base is an innovative program that provides clinical care and support services to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans and families affected by combat stress and traumatic brain injury – the “invisible wounds of war.” Home Base, a partnership of the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital, strives to help soldiers returning from war successfully adjust to leading a civilian life.

Hear from one veteran about his experience with Home Base and how it has helped him since his service.

Better Living with Liz Walker

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Through an exciting partnership with Liz Walker and the Better Living team, Partners HealthCare is highlighting community health programs at the hospitals and licensed and affiliated health center across the Partners network, and by our external partners. The segments in the programs represent our commitment to the communities we serve by enhancing access to health care, building tomorrow’s health care workforce, and improving the health and well-being of our communities through prevention.

Massachusetts General Orthopedics Sports Performance Center opens to public

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Amateur athletes looking for the same support and attention given to professional sports stars will find it at the new Massachusetts General Orthopedics Sports Performance Center in Foxboro. The center helps athletes from all walks of life recover from injury.

Using state-of-the-art technology, the Center helps athletes heal and improve their form. Different measures allow clinicians to learn about patients' strength, balance, muscle recovery, and more. A team of people, including personal trainers, physical therapists, and doctors, analyze the data provided by sensors and machinery and work closely with patients to recover.

Director of Home Base Program shares thoughts about returning from war

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

In a recent interview with The Boston Globe, John Parrish, MD, CEO of the Center for the Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology and Director of the Home Base Program, talks about his experience as a veteran. He suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder after returning from serving in Vietnam and his experiences influenced him to help new soldiers returning from war through Home Base, a program of the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). Soldiers who return home are often overwhelmed at the prospect of returning to civilian life.

Parrish is the author of a recently released book called Autopsy of War which chronicles some of his experiences in Vietnam. He is a physician at MGH.

Read the interview from The Boston Globe.

Mom's voice may help premature babies grow stronger

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A pilot project at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) is testing whether playing a mother's voice for her premature baby helps the baby grow stronger. Amir Lahav, director of the Neonatal Research Lab at BWH, thinks that playing a mother's voice in the hospital incubator of a premature baby will simulate the womb, and help the baby gain strength. The program also hopes to prove that the auditory stimulation will reduce learning problems later in the baby's life.

View a news video about this project from New England Cable News.

Partners CEO pens op-ed about preparing students for careers

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

In an op-ed article for The Boston Globe, Gary Gottlieb, MD, President and CEO of Partners HealthCare, expresses his support of the state's push to ready students for careers. The article, co-written by Jay Hooley, President and CEO of State Street Corp., highlights the need to prepare students for not only higher education but lives and careers as working professionals. The two serve as members of the Integrating College and Career Readiness Task Force.

Read the opinion piece in The Boston Globe.

Partners CEO co-authors Institute of Medicine Checklist for High Value Health Care

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recently released a checklist that outlines methods of continuous improvement for health care organizations and systems as pressures increase from the demands of a changing market. The IOM sought advice from leaders of top health care systems nationwide, including Gary Gottlieb, MD, President and CEO of Partners HealthCare.

The items included in the checklist represent items that the authors felt put their systems on a path to improving quality and reducing health care costs. All of the items require continuous effort, and cannot simply be "crossed off the list."

Read more from WBUR's CommonHealth Blog.

Partners HealthCare is a proud sponsor of the 2012 Massachusetts Pavilion at the Bio International Convention in Boston

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) are proud sponsors of the 2012 Massachusetts Pavilion at the Bio International Convention. The conference, a global gathering of people in the biotechnology field, is taking place in Boston this year from June 18-21 and will bring together more than 15,000 biotech professionals from around the world.

Partners, MGH, and BWH will be showcasing some of their latest research at the Massachusetts Pavilion, which is being run by MassBio, the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council. The Pavilion's theme is "Lifecycle Massachusetts", with a goal of showing attendees the depth and breadth of life sciences in the state.

Partners HealthCare's Research Ventures & Licensing (RVL) division will also be represented at the conference. RVL staff will represent the portfolio of research technologies available for licensing at an exhibit in the BIO Academic Zone (Booth #2555), and will actively engage with industry through BIO partnering sessions. In addition, RVL leadership will be featured as panel speakers and presenters.

Attendees will get a glimpse into the world of research within Partners hospitals and institutions through video and print displays. Partners institutions are leaders in biomedical research, and the discoveries borne out of that research improve medical care and discovery here and around the world.

Governor Deval Patrick, Mayor Thomas Menino, and other Massachusetts leaders will be visiting the Pavilion.

Learn more about the Lifecycle Massachusetts Pavilion.

Partners Scholarship Announcement

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Partners recently announced a new, long-term commitment to provide college scholarships to more than 400 students participating in Mass General and Brigham and Women's Hospitals' youth achievement programs. The scholarships will build upon the work being done through the existing hospital programs – the Student Success Jobs Program (SSJP) at BWH and the MGH Bicentennial Scholars program.

Partners HealthCare recognized as a National Top Workplace

Thu, 31 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare has been recognized as a National Top Workplace. The list of National Top Workplaces aggregates results from across 30 Top Workplaces publishing partners to identify the best employers in the nation. Find the full list of Top Workplaces.

The list of National Top Workplaces is based solely on employee feedback from 805 companies surveyed with more than 1,000 employees across the 30 regional Top Workplaces programs. This included survey responses from more than half a million employees.

"Our employees are the reason we are able to provide excellent health care to our patients, make groundbreaking research discoveries, support the public health needs of our communities, and educate the next generation of medical professionals,” said Gary Gottlieb, MD, President and CEO of Partners HealthCare. "Partners takes pride in creating an environment in which our employees can thrive and enjoy the work they do. We are honored to receive this national recognition.”

The list is published by WorkplaceDynamics of Exton, PA. WorkplaceDynamics are experts in organizational health and conduct more than 4,000 company surveys each year. Their research suggests that Top Workplaces are outperforming their peers financially. “Put simply, the most successful companies appear to be the ones that employees believe in” said Doug Claffey, CEO at WorkplaceDynamics. Visit www.topworkplaces.com to find out more about WorkplaceDynamics' research into Organizational Health.

Better Living Preview June 2012

Thu, 31 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Watch Better Living with Liz Walker on Thursday, June 7th at 7:30 pm on Channel 5.

Tune in to see stories about: Home Base, an innovative partnership of the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital that is providing clinical care and support services to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans and families affected by combat stress and traumatic brain injury – the “invisible wounds of war”; Camp Harbor View, a summer camp providing a respite from the inner city for Boston children during the hot summer months and connecting with campers and their families all year long; Boston Moves for Health, an ambitious campaign to improve the health and fitness of Boston residents; and Partners HealthCare’s new commitment to helping young people enter into and graduate from college with annual scholarships and wrap-around services to ensure school success. This commitment builds on the youth achievement programs at Brigham and Women’s and Mass General Hospitals. The broadcast also includes a short interview from Gary Gottlieb, MD, President and CEO, Partners HealthCare about this long term, $10 million commitment.

Partners HealthCare Invests in Information System of the Future

Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare today announced that is making an historic commitment to, and investment in a health information technology infrastructure of the future. The announcement reflects a dedicated vision, and a broadened scope for Partners clinical information systems. This strategic direction will allow for better coordinated patient care as Partners moves into a new health care environment that will include Accountable Care Organizations, new payment models and a focus on population health management.

“Together, we will shape an information system that works for the thousands of patients who depend on us for their care,” said Partners President and CEO Gary Gottlieb, MD. “This vision for health care information technology will ensure that Partners is well positioned to provide the type of high quality, coordinated and efficient care that is best for our patients and our families.”

For several months, Partners has been laying the groundwork for a new clinical information system that when completed will assist all Partners doctors, nurses, and other health professionals in the coordination of patient care and greatly enhance the ability to measure, report on, and improve efficiency. The system will also support and enhance efforts in the area of research and medical education.

Over the next several months, Partners will negotiate exclusively with EPIC, a worldwide leader in health information technology, specializing in work with large academic medical centers and integrated health systems. System development and implementation will occur over a 10-year period and represent a capital investment of approximately $600 - 700 million.

Together, Partners and Epic will put into place a world-class system that will:

Provide a single patient record -- clinical information will follow patients everywhere within Partners.
Improve coordination, reduce duplication of care, avoid unnecessary tests, and greatly improve convenience of care for both clinicians and patients.
Collect, manage, analyze, and report clinical data across the Partners HealthCare System.
Offer a patient’s clinician access to information -- 24/7 -- at the click of a mouse.
Give patients easy electronic access to their own data, enhancing the ability to communicate with clinicians and engage them to take a more active role in their own care.
Offer enhanced research, education, finance, revenue and billing capability.

“The time is now. The health care world is changing rapidly,” said Partners Chief Health Information and Innovation Officer David Blumenthal, MD. “The new health care landscape will challenge us to engage in population health management, improve the coordination of health care, and accept financial risk for the care of our patients. This new system will enable us to meet those challenges.”

Partners to purchase new clinical information system

Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare has announced its decision to unify its homegrown electronic health record systems. Partners will purchase a product built by the health information technology provider EPIC to be rolled out over the next ten years.

One goal of the new system is to provide seamless transitions for patients receiving care at any of Partners' providers.

Read more about the announcement from The Boston Globe.

Spaulding Hospital North Shore Honored by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Salem, MA- The war and subsequent overthrow of long-time dictator Moammar Gadhafi resulted in an urgent humanitarian need in Libya with thousands wounded and severely injured. This past Fall in coordination with the US State Department, The Libyan National Transition Council (LNTC) reached out to the experts in rehabilitative care at the Spaulding Rehabilitation Network to treat a group of 22 wounded Libyan freedom fighters. On Monday May 14th, representatives from the U.S. State Department with a letter from Secretary of State Clinton returned to Spaulding Hospital North Shore in Salem, the main treatment facility, to thank and honor the Spaulding staff.

A letter excerpt to the Spaulding staff from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton read:

“The men arrived a mere week after my visit to Tripoli where I witnessed firsthand the plight of Libya’s injured war heroes at the Tripoli Medical Center. I was deeply moved by the sacrifices these brave men made to bring freedom to their country and fellow citizens, and remain grateful for your speedy and compassionate response to the Government of Libya’s request for assistance. From counseling your staff on Islamic tradition before patients arrived, to providing them with opportunities to observe their religious obligations, and opening your doors to the Libyan-American community, your efforts in caring for and healing these brave warriors showed the compassion, understanding and dedication that are hallmarks of American values.”

“It was an honor to the entire staff here at Spaulding to work on such an important project at a unique time in our history. To see the improvements that these patients made and bonds created over their time with us only reinforced that all of these efforts were worthwhile,” said Maureen Banks, President, Spaulding Hospital North Shore.

The first group of 22 Libyan war wounded was sent to the Spaulding Hospital North Shore in Salem, Massachusetts on October 29th of 2011. At this time all but a few complex cases requiring additional surgeries and treatment have returned home to Libya rebuild their lives and country. Many of these patients sustained various injuries in the conflict from complex orthopedic injuries, multi-level trauma and nerve damage. The funding for these efforts is provided by the LNTC.

“When these patients returned home they shared stories of the doctors, therapists, nurses and people they met in our country who offered them caring and kindness. Those connections will build cultural bridges between our countries that will be important and long lasting,” said Mark Ward, Deputy Special Coordinator, Office of Middle East Transitions, U.S. State Department.

Also on hand to recognize the Spaulding staff was Libyan Ambassador to the United States Ali Aujali as well as members of the Libyan-American Community.

Read a copy of the letter from Secretary of State Clinton.

Associate Chief Nurse of Spaulding Rehabilitation Network shares thoughts about health IT

Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Ann Marie Dwyer, Associate Chief Nurse at Spaulding Rehabilitation Network (SRN), spoke with EHR Intelligence about SRN's implementation of health IT at its six main hospital sites as part of a story about the role nurses play in the adoption of health IT. She shares some of the successes, struggles, and strategies used by Spaulding, and talks about how nurses specifically were integral in rolling out new electronic medical record technology, since nurses are some of the main users of the technology.

Dwyer was featured in a Q & A video as National Nursing Week came to a close.

Spaulding Rehabilitation Network is a member of Partners HealthCare.

Partners HealthCare Announces $10 Million Dollars in College Scholarships to Benefit More Than 400 Boston Area Students

Mon, 07 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Boston, MA – Partners HealthCare and its founding hospitals – Brigham and Women’s and Massachusetts General Hospitals – announces a new, long-term commitment to provide college scholarships to more than 400 students participating in the hospitals’ youth achievement programs. These students aspire to academic success and are interested in careers in health and science.

Watch a video of the scholarship announcement.

View photos from the event.

“Educational and economic opportunities are vital to building healthier communities and are a core part of Partners’ mission to improve community health,” said Gary Gottlieb, MD, President and CEO, Partners HealthCare. “These new scholarships are inspired by and build upon the incredible work being done in our hospital youth programs – the Student Success Jobs Program (SSJP) and the MGH Bicentennial Scholars program.”

A recent study by the Boston’s Private Industry Council of 2003 Boston graduates found less than half who enrolled in college had completed a two- or four-year degree within six years. Reasons for this low completion rate are complex and they include a lack of financial security, as well as peer, and academic and social integration issues on campus.

“Through our work with the MGH Bicentennial Scholars and their families – and now going forward with these new scholarships – we hope to provide support services to young people so they can overcome challenges and barriers that may stand between them and high school and college success,” said Peter Slavin, MD, president of Massachusetts General Hospital.

Betsy Nabel, MD, president of Brigham and Women’s and Faulkner Hospitals, said, “In the 12 years since the SSJP was established at the Brigham, talented and motivated Boston Public Schools students have been contributing to the fields of health care and science. The program has transformed the lives of all who have participated. However, the socio-economic challenges students continue to face in achieving their goals are significant, which make this multi-year commitment so important.”

For more than 20 years, Mass General has provided paid internships to Boston high school students who are interested in health and science careers. The MGH Bicentennial Scholars program – a gift to the community from Massachusetts General Hospital in 2011 to celebrate the hospital’s bicentennial – offers students from Boston, Chelsea, and Revere a comprehensive array of support services to enable them to enter into, succeed in, and graduate from college.

Some of these services include: SAT prep, college tours, coaching in high school and college, summer and year-round jobs at the hospitals, and a $5,000 annual scholarship. The MGH Bicentennial Scholars will graduate from high school this June and enter college in the fall.

At Brigham and Women’s, 75 Boston public high school students in the 10th – to 12th grades are currently enrolled in the SSJP, which provides intensive year-round employment, mentoring and an introduction to careers in health, science and medicine. Students have access to tutoring in science and math and receive individual coaching to research colleges; they have guidance in developing their college essays, preparing for standardized tests, and completing financial aid applications. More than 300 students have participated in the SSJP since its inception in 2000, and nearly all – 96 percent – are enrolled in or have graduated from college, many with financial support from BWH. This new program will now provide this year’s 26 SSJP seniors the opportunity to become an SSJP Scholar and receive up to $5,000 per year for four years of college, depending on merit and need, and engagement with the students will continue throughout their college years to ensure they succeed and graduate college.

“These opportunities for young people are so important for our city,” said Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino. “The hospital programs and now these new college scholarships from Partners can provide life-changing experiences for students and their families. Employers like these, committed institutions offer a deep resource for the young people of Boston, and these students in turn help these hospitals create a diverse, knowledgeable and committed workforce.”

“As educators, we work hard each and every day to ensure our students have the skills and the knowledge they need to be successful,” said Boston Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Carol R. Johnson. “Partnerships like these help our great teachers engage their students in new and exciting ways. The hospital internships, mentoring, and support services reinforce learning and leadership skills so students can see promising and rewarding careers in their future, which helps inspire them to stay on track for high school graduation and college success.”

Partners HealthCare Commits $2.2 Million to Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers

Wed, 02 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare recently announced a $2.2 million commitment to the Mass League of Community Health Centers to help health centers reshape the way care is delivered around the state. The funds will be used to support a wide range of workforce development programs -- including training and technical assistance -- as the role of health centers continues to expand and evolve in Massachusetts’ rapidly changing health care landscape.

“Community health centers are among the Commonwealth’s most valuable health care assets,” said Gary L. Gottlieb, M.D. President and CEO of Partners HealthCare. “For decades, community health centers have pioneered and developed models of care that deliver high quality and cost effectiveness. We must continue to support their ongoing mission to deliver the best value possible to patients and their families.”

“The demands on the state’s network of community health centers have grown leaps and bounds since the launch of state health reform and as more residents are impacted by the state’s economic challenges,” said James W. Hunt, Jr., President and CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers. “These investments are critical to strengthening the state’s health centers and expanding their affordable, high-quality primary and preventive health care to more Massachusetts residents in need.”

‘Lean Training’
Approximately $1 million will be invested in a process improvement training program – Lean Performance Improvement Training – for community health centers. The program provides practical tools to identify problems, improve patient and clinician satisfaction, and sustain effective change. Enhancements made through the training can improve the effectiveness of care delivery, as well as access to and engagement in patient centered medical homes, which have shown significant impact on both patient outcomes and costs.

Early results have already shown tremendous progress at some of the state’s health centers. At the East Boston Neighborhood Community Health Center, clinicians and staff sought to enhance the role of the Medical Assistant (MA) by standardizing workflows for greater efficiency in the workplace – ultimately creating more time for patient engagement. After a four-month ‘lean training’ effort focusing on well child visits, staff identified new work processes that afforded doctors 27% more time with patients and helped to improve patient, family and clinician satisfaction.

“With support from Partners HealthCare and the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, this initiative has helped East Boston better address the top priorities of community health centers: improving patient care and attracting and retaining the highest quality clinical personnel,” said East Boston Neighborhood Health Center Chief Executive Officer Jack Cradock.

At Lynn Community Health Center, the team focused on how to reduce patient wait times when calling in on the phone to seek appointments and other information. By improving the phone call intake process, they were able to drastically reduce call waiting times and reduce the number of patients that simply hung up by 70% – improving patient engagement and access.

“Not only has this initiative improved patient access and support, it has created new leaders within our organization who are dedicated to continuously finding ways to improve the patient experience,” said Lynn Community Health Center Executive Director Lori Abrams Berry.

Workforce Training
Another $1.2 million will be used by the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers to establish statewide training and workforce development programs to enhance the skills of nurses, medical assistants, registration workers, and other health center staff members. Over the course of the next three years, these funds will improve workforce skills and career possibilities for more than 1,200 employees at the 50 community health centers. As more community health centers transition toward patient centered medical homes, this gift will promote recruitment and retention of qualified providers, and ensure enhanced coordination of care for patients who face chronic disease, including diabetes, depression, and cancer.

Partners History of Commitment to Community Health Centers
Partners HealthCare makes the largest commitment to the community of any health care provider in Massachusetts – more than $186 million last year. Since 1994, Partners has provided more than $83 million in capital investments to licensed and affiliated community health centers in Massachusetts. Partners is committed to providing people in our communities and health centers with opportunities to explore, prepare for and succeed in health careers that provide economic self-sufficiency, financial security and pathways for advancement.

Partners President and CEO named to list of 'Most Influential Physician Executives in Health Care'

Wed, 02 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare President and CEO Gary Gottlieb was recently named as one of Modern Healthcare's 50 Most Influential Physician Executives in Health Care for 2012.

Find the full list from Modern Healthcare.

Electronic Medical Records here to stay

Wed, 02 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

In a recent article about the power of electronic medical records, David Blumenthal, MD, Chief Health Information Officer for Partners HealthCare, says there may be some sensitivity around studying potential problems with electronic medical records because most in the industry don't want to stop the forward progress being made regarding their use. The federal government is promoting the use of electronic medical records as a way to better coordinate care, help patients avoid medical errors, and improve efficiency. Blumenthal, who was the national coordinator for health information technology when the rule was published, also says that although using electronic medical records is the right direction for the industry to move in, there are safety concerns with their use.

Read more from The Boston Globe.

Partners HealthCare 2011 Annual Report

Wed, 02 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

At Partners HealthCare, we embrace our responsibility to deliver the highest quality of care, while we challenge ourselves to explore innovative ways to make that care affordable to society. We lead in groundbreaking research that links discovery directly to the lives of our patients. We teach the next generation who will carry forward the important lessons of leadership. We commit to these tenets with a promise to improve the health of all the communities we touch every day whether they are local or around the world.

In this year’s annual report, we offer a sample of the inspiring ideas that the talented and dedicated men and women of the Partners HealthCare community have advanced over the last year that speak directly to the key concerns facing health care today. You will read how our teams, guided by a strategic vision, have explored inventive ways to improve the delivery of care that are coordinated, accessible, and cost efficient.

Read the 2011 Annual Report.

Partners $2.2 million commitment to Mass League of Community Health Centers valued by local facilities

Wed, 02 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare's recent donation of $2.2 million to the Mass League of Community Health Centers was lauded by officials at two community health centers in the region who expect to continue their Lean Training initiatives.

East Boston Neighborhood Community Health Center and Lynn Community Health Center will take advantage of the $1 million out of the total amount that will be focused on Lean Performance Improvement training, a program that teaches staff how to be more efficient and standardize work flows.

The funds will also support other workforce development initiatives.

Read more from The Boston Globe and The Lynn Item.

Partners Commitment to Quality and Transparency

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare is committed to making patient care better each day, across all parts of our system. We have long been transparent with the public about our progress on efforts to improve quality. In fact, an entire portion of this website is dedicated to patients, families, researchers, health care providers and policy makers who want to better understand how we are doing this.

This progress report not only explains how Partners is improving quality, but also the safety and efficiency of patient care.

In many, cases, we compare our performance to national benchmarks. These are practices widely accepted as "best" for certain types of care. But, in some cases, no benchmarks exist. In those cases, we set our own best practice standards or goals, and use these as our points of reference. In either case, our primary goal is to measure, track and publish how we are doing.

Our Quality, Safety, and Efficiency website tracks our progress on meeting quality and safety goals, and will keep you posted on our efforts going forward, so please check back often.

Brigham and Women's Hospital launches HealthHub

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) recently launched HealthHub, a blog that provides insight on health topics. BWH doctors and researchers comment on many health stories important to patients, such as cancer medication, sleep research, seasonal allergies, vitamin D, and more.

Visit HealthHub.

Mass General celebrates opening of Paul S. Russell, MD Museum of Medical History and Innovation

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) is celebrating the official opening of its Paul S. Russell, MD Museum of Medical History and Innovation to the public. The museum chronicles a history of medical invention and discovery at the hospital over the last two hundred years. Visitors can gain a cultural and educational experience, finding insight into how the field of medicine has developed over the years.

Examples of exhibits include surgical tools and apothecary kits from the 1800s, as well as a surgical chair from the same time period.

The museum, named in honor of Paul S. Russell, MD, a pioneer in transplant surgery at MGH, is located at 2 North Grove Street in Boston. The museum opened to the public on April 17.

Learn more about the Paul S. Russell, MD Museum of Medical History and Innovation.

Partners HealthCare Research Ventures and Licensing 2011 Annual Report

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Every day - in research labs across eastern Massachusetts - investigators, doctors and nurses at Partners HealthCare work to discover new treatment options, medical devices and technology to improve the lives of patients. Research Ventures & Licensing (RVL) works directly with inventors from Partners HealthCare, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, Spaulding Rehabilitation and McLean Hospital to commercialize these innovations.

This report features a view of the commercialization, licensing, venture, and strategic alliance activities for RVL.

Find the 2011 Annual Report here.

NSMC cardiac surgeon honored by Essex South District Medical Society as 2012 Community Clinician of the Year

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Salem, Mass.– Salem resident and North Shore Medical Center (NSMC) cardiac surgeon Thomas J. Vander Salm, M.D., has been honored as the 2012 Community Clinician of the Year by his physician peers of the Essex South District Medical Society.

The Community Clinician of the Year Award was established in 1998 by the Massachusetts Medical Society to recognize a physician from each of the Society’s 20 district medical societies who has made significant contributions to his or her patients and the community and who stands out as a leading advocate and caregiver. The Essex South District has nearly 700 physician members who work or live in the communities of southern Essex County. The award will be presented April 11 at the district’s annual meeting to be held at Tupper Manor at Endicott College in Beverly.

Board certified in surgery and thoracic surgery, Dr. Vander Salm is a cardiac surgeon at the NSMC Heart Center and also is a member of the medical staff of the Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Vander Salm helped launch the NSMC Heart Center in 2003, in collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital, bringing the most advanced cardiac care to the North Shore.

NSMC offers the only cardiac surgery program on the North Shore. Consumer Reports rated NSMC one of the top 50 hospitals in the US for heart surgery in 2009; and Thomson Reuters rated NSMC as one of the nations 100 Top Hospitals for cardiovascular care in 2010.

At NSMC, Dr. Vander Salm is a member of the Surgical Executive Committee and the Medical Executive Committee. He is also a member of the Medical Expert Advisory Committee of the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine.

Prior to joining NSMC, Dr. Vander Salm served as Professor of Surgery and Chief of the Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery Division at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and was Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester. He remains on the faculty at the medical school and continues to serve as a consultant for the hospital and department of surgery.

A graduate of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Dr. Vander Salm is a veteran of the United States Navy, having served as a surgeon on the USS Independence and on the staff of the Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, Virginia. He is a founding member of the Massachusetts Society of Thoracic Surgeons and was 2010-2011 president of the Northeast Cardiothoracic Surgical Society. He is currently a member of the Editorial Board and a manuscript reviewer for the Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

Face transplant recipient talks about progress after one year

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Dallas Wiens, the nation's first full transplant recipient, spoke about the recovery he has made in the year since the transplant occurred at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Wiens' remarkable progress includes being able to move his cheeks, forehead, mouth, and nose. The skin on his face can sense the sunlight and a breeze. He can also smile and talk.

Wiens suffered serious burns in an accident in 2008, forcing doctors to remove much of his face muscle. After reconstructive surgery, Wiens saw doctors at Brigham and Women's Hospital's face transplantation program.

Wiens, who is now blind, says he hopes to be fully functioning and raising his daughter independently within ten years.

Read more from The Boston Globe and from Health Hub, a blog from Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Partners Health Explorers Program to expand at Camp Harborview 2012

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Campers attending Camp Harborview in the summer of 2012 will have a chance to take part in the Partners Health Explorers Program all summer long. The Partners Health Explorers Program teaches campers about healthy living, science, and health careers.

The program was run last summer for 47 campers during the last week of camp. This year, all 800 campers will get a chance to take part in the program throughout the eight weeks that the camp runs.

Camp Harborview takes place on Long Island in Boston Harbor. It provides kids from Boston the chance to attend camp in a scenic, rural setting and form lasting relationships and leadership skills.

Lynn, Salem, Revere, and Chelsea each received $240,000 to aid in the design and implementation of local programs.

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare recently provided grants to four cities north of Boston for improving the health of their communities. Lynn, Salem, Revere, and Chelsea each received $240,000 to aid in the design and implementation of local programs that will improve the health of its residents and ultimately help slow the growth in health care spending.

Read more from The Boston Globe.

Home Base Foundation provides free admission to Basketball Hall of Fame for military families

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Home Base Program of Massachusetts General Hospital and The Red Sox Foundation provided free admission to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for military families on March 31. More than 200 members of the military and their families enjoyed the museum.

The Home Base Program provides support for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts and their families.

Partners focuses on reducing energy consumption

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare is planning on saving $15 million per year and reducing energy consumption by 25% by 2014 as part of an effort to lessen the impact health care has on the environment. Partners is part of a national consortium of health systems called the Healthier Hospitals Initiative, and the group is calling on hospitals across the country to reduce waste and embrace sustainable ideas.

The Healthier Hospitals Initiative involves some of the largest health systems in the U.S.

Read more from The Boston Business Journal and Kaiser Health News.

Find out more about Partners HealthCare's sustainability initiatives.

Partners Step It Up Program

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Partners Step It Up is an activity program that incorporates technology, educational feedback and a fun, team-oriented virtual foot race to raise awareness about the importance of daily activity and good health. The program, originally piloted at two Boston schools, will be offered to elementary students at six Boston public schools this year.

MGH, BWH encourage primary care physicians to take on new patients with enhanced pay

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare's two academic medical centers, Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital, are encouraging their primary care physicians (PCP) to take on new patients through pay incentives. The two hospitals have tied 10% of PCP's pay to the size of their practice and the complexity of their patient caseload.

The move comes as more patients are having a harder time finding a PCP. Both hospitals are hiring more nurse practitioners and physicians assistants to handle the greater number of patients that PCPs are taking on.

Read more from The Boston Globe.

Chief Information Officer of Partners talks with Health System CIO

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Jim Noga, Chief Information Officer, at Partners HealthCare, recently sat down with HealthSystemCIO.com to talk about his role at Partners, fostering collaboration within Partners, challenges the organization faces related to information security, and other topics.

You can read the interview, or listen to the podcast at HealthSystemCIO.com.

Partners HealthCare is a Proud Supporter of the 2012 United Way HealthCare Leadership Breakfast

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The United Way is hosting its 2012 HealthCare Leadership Breakfast on April 4. Health care professionals, join with leaders of the health care industry to celebrate partnerships that are creating healthier communities and opportunities for a better life for all.

Partners HealthCare is a proud supoprter of the breakfast.

View the official invitation.

RSVP by March 26 online at www.supportunitedway.org/HCbreakfast

Better Living: Mattapan Community Health Center Expansion

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Mattapan Community Health Center is getting a new, larger home that will better accommodate its many patients that come from the close-knit community of Mattapan. As the largest employer in Mattapan, the health center provides care for residents—both in their homes and in the doctors; office—and encourages a healthier lifestyle for all of its patients. With the expansion, the health center hopes to triple the number of people that it serves.

Better Living: Working Partners

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Working Partners program offers qualified people with disabilities the skills and support they need to find jobs and enhance their lives. Spaulding Rehabilitation Network is training and investing in people with disabilities to fill health care jobs. This public/private partnership encourages newly injured people to begin to thinking right away about getting back to work as a way to set goals, and to speed recovery.

Better Living: NeighborCare

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

“Boston's Doc” - Huy Nguyen - Medical Director of Boston's Public Health Commission and pediatrician at Dorchester House, talks about Mayor Tom Menino’s new program, NeighborCare. A main goal of NeighborCare is to remind patients about opportunities for high quality health care right in their own neighborhood community health centers. Encouraging patients to connect to care at their community health centers helps to reduce unnecessary ER visits and cut costs.

Better Living: Boston Med Flight

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Boston Med Flight serves some of the sickest patients and most urgent medical cases in the Boston area. The company transports trauma patients from community hospitals into Boston hospitals for care that is often not available at a local facility. Med Flight puts safety first by collaborating with cities, towns, area hospitals, and ambulance companies to ensure that the right decisions are being made for the patient in need.

Better Living with Liz Walker

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Through an exciting new partnership with Liz Walker and the Better Living team, Partners HealthCare is highlighting community health programs at the hospitals and licensed and affiliated health center across the Partners network, and by our external partners. The segments in the programs represent our commitment to the communities we serve by enhancing access to health care, building tomorrow’s health care workforce, and improving the health and well-being of our communities through prevention.

Partners HealthCare gives gift of $240,000 to Salem to improve the health of the community

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare recently gave $240,000 to Salem to help that community design and implement local programs that will improve the health of its residents and ultimately help slow the growth in health care spending.The gift was one of four made to communities north of Boston for this purpose.

The funding will enable Salem to become a ‘Mass in Motion’ community in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

Read more from The Boston Globe.

Read the full press release from Partners.

Study shows that drug, "Amantadine," may speed recovery from brain injury

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A new study has found that the drug Amantadine may speed a patient's recovery from a severe brain injury. The study was published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine and is the culmination of a 5-year study of 184 patients in 3 different countries.

Patients who receievd the drug were able to communicate and understand more quickly than those patients who received a placebo.

The leader of the study now serves as the Director of Rehabilitation Neuropsychology at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital.

Read more from The Boston Globe.

Read the original press release.

Mom’s Voice May Improve the Health of Premature Babies

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:
Lori J. Shanks
Brigham and Women's Hospital
phone: 617) 534-1604
e-mail: ljshanks@partners.org

Boston, MA – When babies are born prematurely, they are thrust into a hospital environment that while highly successful at saving their lives, is not exactly the same as the mother’s womb where ideal development occurs. The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is equipped with highly skilled care givers and incubators that regulate temperature and humidity, but Amir Lahav, ScD, PhD, director of the Neonatal Research Lab at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) thought that something was missing - simulation of the maternal sounds that a baby would hear in the womb. Now, new research conducted by Lahav and colleagues links exposure to an audio recording of mom’s heartbeat and her voice to lower incidence of cardiorespiratory events in preterm infants. This research is published online in The Journal of Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine.

“Our findings show that there may be a window of opportunity to improve the physiological health of these babies born prematurely using non-pharmalogical treatments, such as auditory stimulation,” said Lahav, principal investigator of the study.

Because they are underdeveloped, preterm infants experience high rates of adverse lung and heart events, including apnea (pause in breathing that lasts longer than 20 seconds ) and bradycardia (periods of significantly slow heart rate). Researchers sought to determine whether an auditory intervention could affect the rates of these unwarranted cardiorespiratory events.

To conduct the study, Lahav enrolled fourteen extremely premature infants (born between 26-32 weeks gestation) that were admitted to the NICU at BWH. The infants were assigned to receive an auditory intervention of maternal sound stimulation (MSS), four times per day throughout their NICU hospitalization. Each infant received a personalized MSS—a soundtrack that consisted of his/her own mother’s voice and heartbeat. The recording was played into the infant’s incubator via a specialized micro audio system developed in Lahav’s lab.

Overall, researchers found that cardiorespiratory events occurred at a much lower frequency when the infants were exposed to MSS versus to routine hospital noise and sounds. This effect was statistically significant in infants of 33 weeks gestation or older.

“Our findings are promising in showing that exposure to MSS could help preterm infants in the short-term by reducing cardiorespiratory events. The results also suggest that there is a period of time when the infant’s auditory development is most intact that this intervention of MSS could be most impactful,” Lahav said. “However, given our small sample size of 14 infants, further research is needed to determine if this intervention could have an impact on the care and health of preterm infants.”

This research was funded by support from Christopher Joseph Concha Foundation, Hailey’s Hope Foundation, Capita Foundation, Heather on Earth Foundation, John Alden Trust, Learning Disabilities Foundation of America, LifeSpan HealthCare and The Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation and Phillips Healthcare.

Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) is a 793-bed nonprofit teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School and a founding member of Partners HealthCare, an integrated health care delivery network. BWH is the home of the Carl J. and Ruth Shapiro Cardiovascular Center, the most advanced center of its kind. BWH is committed to excellence in patient care with expertise in virtually every specialty of medicine and surgery. The BWH medical preeminence dates back to 1832, and today that rich history in clinical care is coupled with its national leadership in quality improvement and patient safety initiatives and its dedication to educating and training the next generation of health care professionals. Through investigation and discovery conducted at its Biomedical Research Institute (BRI), www.brighamandwomens.org/research , BWH is an international leader in basic, clinical and translational research on human diseases, involving more than 900 physician-investigators and renowned biomedical scientists and faculty supported by more than $537 M in funding. BWH is also home to major landmark epidemiologic population studies, including the Nurses' and Physicians' Health Studies and the Women's Health Initiative. For more information about BWH, please visit www.brighamandwomens.org

Success of Partners Step it Up program at Dorchester school celebrated

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Federal, state, and local government officials were on hand to celebrate the success and expansion of the Partners Step it Up program. The program encourages students to become more active by providing them with pedometers and a competition to track their steps.The announcement of the expansion took place at Dorchester's Holmes Elementary School, where the pilot project began in 2010.

Mayor Tom Menino, Governor Deval Patrick, and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services were on hand for the announcement.

Read more from The Boston Globe, Boston Herald, and Politico blog.

Read the original press release.

Partners HealthCare Promotes Healthy Living In Four Cities North of Boston

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare announced today that we that promoting healthy living in Chelsea, Lynn, Revere and Salem with gifts of $240,000 each. These funds will allow the communities of Salem and Lynn to join Mass in Motion, an initiative that works within communities to address obesity and encourage healthy living. In Chelsea and Revere, the gifts will allow these communities to build upon some great work already underway there. In Chelsea, the funding will support the work of ‘Healthy Chelsea,’ a community based coalition and in Revere the funding will support will support the work of ‘Revere on the Move,’ a partnership between the City and Revere CARES.

“Partners is committed to supporting and working with the communities that we serve to craft tailor-made, localized programs that foster wellness and help to reduce the incidence of chronic disease,” said Gary L. Gottlieb, M.D., President and CEO of Partners HealthCare. “Working together with local leaders, we can improve the quality of life for local residents, improve the overall health of the community and make health care more affordable in the long term.”

The four year gift will enable the cities of Chelsea, Lynn, Revere, and Salem to build and expand on community-based coalitions consisting of city officials, health center and physician leaders, as well as other stakeholders to identify the communities' most pressing health needs and develop policies and solutions to address those needs. The goal is to improve access to healthy, affordable foods and physical activities so that healthy choices are easier to make.

“Raising awareness about obesity and nutrition will make our community stronger and healthier,” said Kimberley Driscoll, Mayor of Salem. “Working closely with the community, we have a great opportunity to help our residents learn about the importance of wellness and prevention – making our community healthier for generations to come.”

“Childhood obesity is a serious epidemic -- it is vital that we teach our youth the importance of healthy eating and exercise at an early age,” said Senator Sal DiDomenico. “I would like to thank Partners HealthCare for their generous gifts to Revere and Chelsea, which will go a long way towards furthering and expanding wellness initiatives in our schools.”

“These funds will provide a great boost to the wellness and strength of the community for years to come,” Representative Kathi-Anne Reinstein said. “Educating our youth on nutrition is an important step to ensuring they succeed in the classroom and throughout their lives.”

“This is a big step forward in our efforts to raise health awareness throughout our city,” said Senator Thomas McGee. It is great to see that through this commitment by Partners Health Care, Lynn will become a “Mass in Motion” community. With programs like this and the School Nutrition bill that the Legislature passed last session, Massachusetts continues to work hard to prevent obesity and promote healthy living.”

The gifts help expand the number of communities participating in the Mass in Motion initiative and expand efforts to address obesity and promote healthy living. A recent Department of Public Health study showed that in Massachusetts:

More than 50% of adults and nearly 33% of high school and middle students are overweight or obese.

According to the CDC, in Massachusetts, $1.8 billion of medical expenses are due to adult obesity.
Black adults were 60% more likely to be obese, and Hispanic adults were 50% more likely to be obese than their White counterparts.
In Chelsea, 54 percent of schoolchildren are overweight or obese.

Find more information about Mass in Motion efforts statewide.

Multi-National Clinical Trial Shows Effectiveness of Amantadine in Treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Media Contacts:

Tim Sullivan
Spaulding Rehabilitation Network
tsullivan11@partners.org
(P) 617-573-2918
(C) 617-501-5985

BOSTON (March 1, 2012) – A multi-national study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine revealed a significant breakthrough in the treatment of patients in vegetative and minimally conscious states. The study showed that the drug amantadine hydrochloride accelerated the pace of functional recovery during active treatment in patients with post-traumatic disorders of consciousness.

The study, funded by a 5-year, $3 million grant from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, involved 184 patients at 11 clinical trial sites in three countries. JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Edison, NJ and MossRehab in Philadelphia served as the lead centers for the international study. The patients involved were receiving inpatient rehabilitation and were in a vegetative or minimally conscious state between four and 16 weeks after traumatic brain injury. During the four week treatment period, recovery was significantly faster among patients who were administered amantadine than those in the placebo group.

Study leader, Joseph T. Giacino, Ph.D, who now serves as Director of Rehabilitation Neuropsychology at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital said, “The results of this study provide convincing evidence that it is possible to increase the speed of recovery from severe traumatic brain injury when treatment is initiated within four months of onset. These findings engender optimism for a medical condition that is often viewed as untreatable.”

The study results pave the way for additional studies of a drug whose therapeutic value was previously undetermined. “Now that we know that amantadine can accelerate neurologic recovery, we need to explore the dose and treatment schedule that provides the greatest and most durable treatment impact,” said study co-leader, John Whyte, M.D., Ph.D, Director of Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute. “Importantly, this study adds to the growing evidence that patients with disorders of consciousness have rehabilitation potential that we are just beginning to tap.”

In addition to JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute and MossRehab, nine other rehabilitation institutions participated in the study including Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital in Braintree, MA.; Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation Hospital in Malvern, PA; Carolinas Rehabilitation in Charlotte, NC; Fachkrankenhaus Neresheim Hospital in Neresheim, Germany; Copenhagen University Hospital in Glostrup, Denmark; Methodist Rehab Center in Jackson, MS; Schoen Klinik Bad Aibling in Bad Aibling, Germany; Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital in Schenectady, NY; and Texas Neurorehab Center in Austin, TX. In addition, the Department of Biostatistics in the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University in New York City served as the Data Coordinating Center under the direction of Emilia Bagiella, PhD.

About Spaulding Rehabilitation Network

A member of Partners HealthCare, The Spaulding Rehabilitation Network includes Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital-Boston (main campus), a 196-bed facility, as well as Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Cape Cod. Additional locations include the two long-term care facilities Spaulding Hospital Cambridge and Spaulding Hospital North Shore and two skilled nursing facilities, as well as twenty-three outpatient sites throughout the Greater Boston area. Spaulding is a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School as well as the official rehabilitation hospital of the New England Patriots. Spaulding is the only rehabilitation hospital in New England continually ranked since 1995 by U.S. News and World Report in its Best Hospitals survey with a #5 ranking in 2011. For more information, please visit www.spauldingrehab.org.

About MossRehab

Recognized as a national leader in medical rehabilitation, MossRehab provides high-quality, compassionate medical care for individuals with physical disabilities, and offers a wide range of specialized services, including comprehensive programs for brain and spinal cord injury, stroke, amputation and orthopaedic conditions. MossRehab has two main facilities – MossRehab at Elkins Park at 60 Township Line Road in Elkins Park, PA and MossRehab at 1200 West Tabor Road in Philadelphia. It also operates inpatient units, outpatient sites and various community programs in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. MossRehab is a member of the Einstein Healthcare Network which consists of Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia, Belmont Behavioral Health, Einstein Medical Center Elkins Park, Montgomery Hospital Medical Center, Einstein Medical Center Montgomery (slated to open in September 2012), Willowcrest (a center for subacute care), and a number of outpatient and satellite locations. For more information, call 1-800-CALL MOSS or visit www.mossrehab.com.

Find coverage of this announcement from The Boston Globe.

Partners HealthCare Expands Partners Step It Up Program to Six Boston Public Elementary Schools to Help Students Live Active, Healthy Lives

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

View a video of the Step It Up Program.

BOSTON- During a visit by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Governor Deval Patrick, Mayor Thomas M. Menino, the Boston Public Schools, Partners HealthCare and the Partners Center for Connected Health announced that Partners Step It Up will be offered to elementary students at six Boston public schools this year.

Partners Step It Up is an activity program that incorporates technology, educational feedback and a fun, team-oriented virtual foot race to raise awareness about the importance of daily activity and good health. Secretary Sebelius visited the Oliver Wendell Holmes Elementary School in Dorchester, and was given a demonstration of Partners Step It Up.

During the Secretary’s visit, she met with students and teachers who participated in Partners Step It Up and learned how they benefited from the program. Secretary Sebelius also took part in an ‘exercise burst’ with students wearing the sneakers chips.

"We know that the health and well-being of our kids is a growing concern," said Secretary Sebelius. "Today there are more reasons to stay inside on the couch and fast unhealthy meals can be easier to get than nutritious ones, and the result is that almost one in every three children in our nation is overweight or obese. The Partners Step It Up initiative is a great example of how a private partner like Partners HealthCare and a public partner like the Boston Public Schools can come together to help kids get and stay healthy."

“I am proud to join Secretary Sebelius to show-off how our communities and public schools are working hard to keep our children healthy,” said Governor Patrick. “Addressing childhood obesity is imperative to future generations and we will continue to work hard and invest in programs that will ensure a healthy, bright future for Massachusetts families.”

“We are honored Secretary Sebelius came to Boston to learn about Partners Step It Up and our successful efforts to promote wellness and healthy living for our school children,” said Mayor Menino. “Teaching children at an early age about the benefits of exercise and good nutrition helps put them on the right track to live healthier, productive lives as adults. Boston supports a number of important health and wellness initiatives, including the Let’s Move campaign, to solve the crisis of childhood obesity.”

Partners Step It Up will provide wireless pedometers or ‘sneaker chips’ to 350 third and fourth grade students. The chips clip onto sneakers or shoes and are designed to measure the number of steps and count the minutes of activity of each student. The data on the sneaker chips is automatically uploaded to a designated computer hub in the school when students walk near it.

“We want to help the young people of our city live active, healthy lives. Partners Step It Up encourages increased physical activity and good nutrition, and through our collaboration with the Center for Connected Health, DotWell, and the Boston Public Schools, we’re able to expand Partners Step It Up from two to six schools this year,” said Gary Gottlieb, MD, President and CEO, of Partners HealthCare. “We are happy to announce that we will engage more than 350 students in a fun, competitive healthy living program.”

“Boston Public Schools and Partners HealthCare share a commitment to helping keep our children active and healthy, and teaching them the benefits of regular exercise and good nutrition,” added Carol R. Johnson, Boston Public Schools Superintendent. “Partners Step It Up has been a real catalyst in our elementary schools, to engage our children in healthier lifestyles. This year the Edward Everett Elementary, John F. Kennedy Elementary, Joseph P. Manning Elementary, Oliver Wendell Holmes Elementary, William E. Russell Elementary, and the Mario Umana Academy will all have the opportunity to participate in the program.”

Beginning in April, and throughout the ten week challenge, teams of students will compete in a virtual foot race from Boston to Orlando, FL. Each week, teachers will receive a report showing their team’s cumulative step count. In addition, each student will receive an individual “step report” containing their total weekly step count as well as the cumulative number of steps they have taken since the program start. The students track their steps in a fun and engaging way on a specially designed fridge magnet.

“We have been delighted at how students have embraced Partners Step It Up and increased their activity week after week, especially during weekends, which suggests that their enthusiasm for the program continues at home,” said Joseph C. Kvedar, MD, Director, Center for Connected Health, Partners HealthCare. “Partners Step It Up is successfully using available technology to raise awareness and education about the benefits of increased activity, to help motivate children in the community to be fit and active.”

According to the 2011 Health of Boston report by Boston Public Health Commission, more than 43% of Boston’s school children are overweight or obese. “We owe it to the young people of our city to develop programs that encourage healthy living and good nutrition and to make sure that opportunities for active living are easily accessible,” said Executive Director of the Boston Public Health Commission, Barbara Ferrer. “Boston’s future depends on the health of Boston’s young people now.”

Better Living March Preview

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Partners Community Health will be featured in the next in a series of Better Living with Liz Walker TV shows. Tune in to see stories about Boston MedFlight and its service to patients who need critical care; “Boston’s Doc,” Dorchester House pediatrician and the Boston Public Health Commission’s new medical director Huy Nguyen, MD; the soon-to-be brand new Mattapan Community Health Center; and the inspiring story of Spaulding's chief resident Dr. Cheri Blauwet as well as “Working Partners,” an innovative, private/public partnership between the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission and Spaulding that’s helping patients and community members with employment.

Watch Better Living with Liz Walker on Thursday, March 8th at 7:30pm on Channel 5.

Partners HealthCare President and CEO participates in Cradles to Crayons Volunteer Day

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Gary Gottlieb, MD, President and CEO of Partners HealthCare, spent time last week assembling packages for Cradles to Crayons, a non-profit organization that provides essential school supplies, toys, and clothing to children younger than 12. Gottlieb participated in a volunteer day with 50 other Boston-area executives.

The group put together C2C KidPacks for distribution. The event was sponsored by The Boston Business Journal and the Boston Chamber of Commerce.

Read more from The Boston Business Journal.

The Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Mass General helps patients reduce stress

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

For patients seeking to reduce stress and improve their physical health, The Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine (BHI) at Massachusetts General Hospital offers a full range of services. The Institute also offers training for health professionals.

Mind body medicine acknowledges the connection between the mind and body, and seeks to improve existing medical conditions by employing specific techniques to reduce stress. The Institute's practitioners collaborate with a patient's existing physicians in an effort to complement traditional medical care.

"Stress is an essential feature in over 60% of visits to health care professionals," said Herbert Benson, MD, Director Emeritus. "Mind body or self-help therapies are effective, inexpensive, scientifically-proven approaches that counteract the injurious effects of stress in a way that drugs or surgeries cannot."

Benson is a pioneer in the field of mind body medicine, being one of the first Western physicians to incorporate mind body practices into his treatment regimens for patients.

The Institute treats hundreds of patients each year who have a wide array of symptoms and are seeking to reduce stress associated with their conditions. The Institute's physicians see many patients battling chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes, or cancer, or aging patients who want to improve their quality of life.

"Mind body medicine is a very empowering area of medicine in that it teaches patients self-care skills and techniques that they can use to maximize their health," said Ann Webster, PhD, Director of the Mind Body Program for Cancer.

Patients can find more information about upcoming 2012 BHI programs geared for specific audiences and patients on the BHI website.

Research Ethics

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare is home to thousands of research studies each year. Pearl O'Rourke, Director of Human Research Affairs at Partners HealthCare, explains how the Partners Ethics Review Committee works to ensure that the research community understands the importance of carrying out research in an ethical manner and respects current regulations.

Lifestyle Medicine | Video

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Institute of Lifestyle Medicine (ILM) strives to teach physicians how to help patients reduce lifestyle-related illness through behavioral change. Patients need to be supported in becoming more physically active and eating a healthier diet.

Hear from Edward Phillips, MD, Director of the ILM at Spaulding Rehabilitation Network, on how the ILM facilitates physicians in helping their patients make healthy lifestyle decisions.

Technology and Primary Care: Virtual Medicine

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

By taking advantage of new advances in technology, physicians at Partners HealthCare affiliated practices are able to keep patient satisfaction high and reduce patient time spent in the office. The practice of "virtual medicine" is becoming more common as a tool to care for patients.

In this video, Ronald Dixon, MD, Director of the Virtual Practice Project at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Associate Medical Director at MGH Beacon Hill, explains how he uses virtual medicine with his patients.

Health Information Technology

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare was one of the earliest adopters of health information technology in the nation. Our electronic medical record system, the Partners-built Longitudinal Medical Record, is used by 100% of our primary and specialty care physicians. Patients can access their own medical records through our patient portal, called Patient Gateway. And, patients will find that their prescription information can be transmitted electronically to the pharmacy, using a process called e-prescribing.

Learn more from Cynthia Bero, Corporate Director of Information Systems for Partners Community Healthcare, Inc.

Sustainable Initiatives

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare has made a commitment to several systemwide sustainable initiatives to decrease our footprint on the environment.

The sustainabilility program operates on two levels. The first, cooperation with peer hospitals across the country. The second is implementation of projects at the local level. These projects are initiatives that often come from employee ideas

Learn more from John Messervy, Director of Capital and Facility Planning for Partners HealthCare.

Healthier Hospitals Initiative

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare is a founding member of the Healthier Hospitals Initiative (HHI), a coalition of major health systems across the U.S. that have come together to improve sustainability and safety in health care. Those organizations involved share ideas and best practices in this area to create new strategies for reduction of resource consumption.

Health Coaching

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

High risk patients, those with multiple chronic conditions, often have difficulty managing their health needs on their own. The Partners HealthCare Connection program uses nurse health coaches to help patients develop decision making skills and teach patients to take better care of themselves.

Health coaching can keep health care utilization rates down by teaching patients how to care for their own chronic conditions. Hear more from Kathy Watson, RN, and Kristine Cate, RN, about their experiences as health coaches.

Partners HealthCare International to provide education and training for Saudi Arabian company

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare International (PHI) has partnered with a Saudi Arabian company to provide education and training. Faisaliah Medical Systems (FMS) a subsidiary of Al-Faisaliah Group Holding, will be working with PHI to expand health services within Saudi Arabia. The two organizations will collaborate on educating health care professionals.

Spaulding Therapy and Nursing Center West Roxbury Recognized by U.S. News & World Report in 2012 Best Nursing Homes

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

For Immediate Release
Contact: McKenzie Ridings
Communications and Media Relations
Spaulding Rehabilitation Network
(617) 573-2904, (617) 224-8999 (Cell), (617) 573-2891 FAX
mridings@partners.org

Washington D.C. – February 8, 2012 – Spaulding Therapy and Nursing Center West Roxbury has received a high ranking of five stars overall in U.S. News & World Report’s annual Best Nursing Homes, released today. U.S. News’s Best Nursing Homes recognizes top-rated homes in all 50 states and offers important guidance to families and healthcare providers caring for people in need of a nursing home.

“More than 3 million Americans will spend part of 2012 in a nursing home, and trying to decide under pressure which one is best isn’t easy,” says Avery Comarow, Health Rankings Editor. “Top-rated nursing homes are worth considering and deserve special recognition.”

U.S. News’s evaluation of nursing homes is based on data from Nursing Home Compare, a consumer website run by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The government agency sets and enforces standards for nursing homes (defined as facilities or portions of facilities enrolled in Medicare or Medicaid that provide 24-hour nursing care and other medical services). Homes earn an overall rating of one to five stars, as well as up to five stars in each of three underlying categories: health inspections, nurse staffing, and quality of care. U.S. News updates each nursing home’s ratings data quarterly.

“This rank is a direct reflection of the commitment to patient care that our staff at Spaulding West Roxbury have. Their unwavering commitment has set Spaulding West Roxbury apart as a top nursing and therapy center in the region and has earned our team recognition on a national level,” said Christine Reilly, Executive Director, Spaulding Therapy and Nursing Center West Roxbury.

Of more than 15,500 homes rated and profiled on the U.S. News website, Spaulding Therapy and Nursing Center West Roxbury was among the fewer than 1 in 8 that received a five-star overall rating in all four quarters of 2011.

“Spaulding’s recognition is an honor and an acknowledgement of hard work and dedication to our patients. “Our collaborative team at Spaulding shares a commitment to maximizing independence and quality of life for all patients. It is an honor for this commitment to be acknowledged. Our physicians, nurses, therapists and aids continue to make the lives our patients full and complete as we continue our mission,” Timothy Lynch, Vice President of Hospital Operations, Partners Continuing Care.

Using the search tools available at http://health.usnews.com/senior-housing, consumers can identify homes in their state, city or ZIP code, tailor their search to see only non-profit homes or those that accept Medicaid insurance, or in other ways find the best fit.

Partners and Tufts Health Plan renegotiate contract

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare and Tufts Health Plan recently renegotiated its existing contract, reducing the amount Partners would have received in 2012 and 2013 by $45 million. Partners also entered into Tufts' Coordinated Care Model, its global payments system.

Find coverage of this announcement from the following media outlets:

WBUR: Tufts Health, Partners Contract Will Affect Thousands Of Mass. Jobs
The Boston Globe: Partners recasts deal with Tufts, limiting pay
The Boston Herald: Partners Cuts Costs in new Tufts Health Plan contract
Boston Business Journal: Partners, Tufts Health Plan negotiate a $45 cost reduction

Partners Community Health Report: Changing Lives, Strengthening Communities

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Partners Community Health focuses on improving the health of the communities we serve. Partners has developed many programs to do this under the following themes:

Enhancing access to care
Improving health through provention
Building tomorrow's health care workforce

Learn more about our efforts in the Partners Community Health 2011 Brochure, Changing Lives, Strengthening Communities.

MGH Insitute of Health Professions celebrates expansion into fourth building

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The MGH Institute of Health Professions (MGH IHP) recently celebrated its expansion to a fourth building in the Charlestown Navy Yard. A ribbon cutting ceremony marked the event on January 11.

Enrollment in the graduate school has nearly doubled over the past seven years, to 1,200 students. With this latest expansion, the school now occupies 100,000 square feet, a 50% increase in the past decade. The new building includes dedicated research space as well as interactive classrooms.

The Institute was founded by Massachusetts General Hospital and is a member of Partners HealthCare.

Read more about the expansion from the MGH IHP. Find media coverage of the expansion from The Boston Globe.

Partners Reaches New Agreement with Tufts Health Plan

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

For Immediate Release: January 18, 2012

Partners HealthCare today announced that it has reached an agreement with Tufts Health Plan, which will reduce the growth in health care spending by more than $105 million over the next four years. This announcement builds on other recent contract renegotiations at Partners, bringing total savings to be passed back to consumers to $345 million over four years.

The Tufts agreement is a renegotiation of two years of an existing contract and achieves three major objectives:

Partners and Tufts are reducing the amount that Partners would have received by a total of $45 million over 2012 and 2013. Over the life of the four-year contract, this translates into about $105 million in total savings.
Partners is entering into global payments and taking on risk, as recommended by the Special Commission on Payment Reform. By entering into Tufts’ Coordinated Care Model (CCM), Partners will be required to meet or exceed quality measures for its patients and Partners will be incented to keep cost growth lower than the network average for the rest of Tufts Health Plan’s provider network.
Rate increases during the contract period will be held in line with general inflation, which is presently about 2 - 3 percent.

“Our patients expect that we will work with insurers, employers, and government leaders to improve the value of the health care they receive,” said Gary L. Gottlieb, MD president and CEO of Partners HealthCare. “This agreement is the latest in a series of steps that the marketplace has taken to begin to deliver that value.”

This agreement is possible as the result of sweeping initiatives that Dr. Gottlieb put into place to redesign the delivery of care at Partners to both improve quality and reduce costs. The initiative initially targeted five high cost conditions including diabetes, colon cancer and stroke. Partners strategic plan also places a heavy emphasis on making the Partners system less costly by examining where savings could be realized in hospitals and institutions without affecting patient care.

In October, Partners announced that it had renegotiated an existing contract with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, which delivered $240 million in savings for consumers over a three year period. That agreement also entered Partners into a global payment and risk sharing arrangement with that insurer.

Last month, Partners was selected as one of just 32 health care providers in the nation as a Pioneer Accountable Care Organization (ACO). The initiative, sponsored by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center, aims to transform the way that health care is delivered by providing Medicare patients with higher quality, while slowing cost growth through enhanced care coordination.

“The Massachusetts marketplace is rapidly transforming into one that ensures better value for our patients,” said Gottlieb. “Massachusetts can and should serve as a model for the rest of the country on cost control as we are on improving quality and access to health care.”

Partners HealthCare is an integrated health care system, founded by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital that offers patients a continuum of coordinated and high-quality care. In addition to its two academic medical centers, Partners includes community and specialty hospitals, a physician network, community health centers, home health and long-term care services, and other health care entities. Partners HealthCare is committed to patient care, research, teaching, and service to the community. Partners is one of the nation’s leading biomedical research organizations and is a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Partners HealthCare is a non-profit organization.

South Boston pharmacy to provide services for local residents

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The South Boston Community Health Center's new pharmacy was officially welcomed by local residents, officials, and corporate sponsors last week. The new pharmacy has been serving residents of the Boston neighborhood since October and has made it easier for patients of the Health Center to fill prescriptions at the same location.

Partners HealthCare funded a grant for the construction of the pharmacy. Construction was also funded by the health center's own resources. Eton Apothecary will manage the pharmacy.

The new pharmacy offers residents of South Boston a convenient and affordable place to fill prescriptions.

Read more from Boston.com and on Connect With Partners.

Better Living with Liz Walker

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Through an exciting new partnership with Partners HealthCare, Liz Walker and the Better Living team are highlighting community health programs at Partners hospitals and the health centers over the next several months. The pieces represent our commitment to the communities we serve and to enhancing access to health care, building tomorrow’s health care workforce, and improving the health and well-being of our communities through prevention.

Dr. Gottlieb introduces January episode of Better Living

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Gary Gottlieb, MD, President and CEO of Partners HealthCare, introduces the January episode of Better Living and highlights some of the community programs which Partners supports.

Better Living: Patient Housing

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Many patients come to Boston for complex medical care. Often these patients live far away and need a place to stay while they are receiving treatment. Hospitality Homes provides this service by linking area residents with patients in need.

Homeless patients needing care can rely on the Barbara McInnis House. Nurses and doctors at the Barbara McInnis House care for homeless patients who are too sick to return to a shelter, but may not need to be admitted to the hospital.

Better Living: Revere CARES Community Outreach Program

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

In the battle against drug and alcohol abuse, Revere CARES has had an overwhelmingly positive influence. The coalition, led by community members and organizations in Revere and is part of the MGH Center for Community Health Improvement, educates teens in the city about substance abuse. Because of the efforts of this program, binge drinking among high school students in Revere dropped 39 % between 1999 and 2009.

As a result of the advocacy that Revere CARES has done, the Revere Fire Department has become the first in the country that is allowed to carry NARCAN on their apparatus. NARCAN is an internasal spray that reverses the effects of an opiate overdose.

Better Living: Internship and Job Training

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Partners Career and Workforce Development (PCWD) program offers job training and internships for local residents who are interested in having careers in health care.

Here, Rhonda Maloney describes how PCWD has helped her to reach her goals. Rhonda works as a practice secretary at Brigham and Women's Hospital and is currently working towards a degree and a career as an occupational therapist.

Better Living: Youth Unscripted

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Youth Unscripted is a creative way for young people to improve their communication skills and resolve conflicts in a collaborative, peaceful manner.

In this episode, Health Care Ambassadors from Southern Jamaica Plain Health Center work with actors from the theater troupe Urban Improv and resolve a staged confrontation between the young people and the police.

Understanding Accountable Care Organizations: What do they mean for health care?

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

In late December, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced its national Accountable Care Organization (ACO) program. Five ACOs are located in Massachusetts, and Partners HealthCare is one of those.

Many Medicare patients across the state are being notified that their primary care physician is participating in this new initiative. The intent of ACOs is to ensure that patients get “the right care, in the right place, at the right time." By improving communication among a patient's providers through a new data sharing initiative, patients will experience improved care, and reduced health care costs. Patients can opt out of having their data shared.

Read more from the Boston Globe, in their article "Understanding accountable health care organizations."

BWH researchers are developing "swimming" capsule to take pictures of digestive sysetm

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) are developing a "swimming" capsule to replace traditional methods of scoping the digestive tract. Patients who have undergone a colonoscopy are likely familiar with the current method-- threading a small camera up and down the digestive tract or via capsule endoscopy, which involves swallowing a pill that takes pictures at random intervals of the digestive tract, although the photos cannot be seen until after the procedure is done.

The new technology, which is a ways away from being used in human patients, would allow for doctors to have more control over a swallowable capsule via the magnetic field of an MRI machine. Physicians would also be able to examine a patient's digestive tract in real time, making a search for cancer more reliable.

Partners HealthCare provides many programs to beneift the local community

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare's focus on the community provides an educational and economic opportunity for many Boston residents, reports The Baystate Banner. In the past year, Partners HealthCare and its hospitals employed more than 100 students in Boston and other local-area schools in youth job training programs, exposing students to what a career in health care is like.

Additionally, Partners offered adult job training services for community members.

Partners hopes to deepen its commitment to career development in 2012.

NSMC Improves Patient Safety with New PICC Placement Technology

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Long-time North Shore Medical Center (NSMC) IV therapy nurse Maureen Lawler, RN, couldn’t be more enthusiastic about the new electrocardiogram (EKG) guidance technology now being used at Salem Hospital to place Peripherally Inserted Central Catheters (PICCs).

Salem Hospital IV therapy nurses Gail Koontz, RN, (left) and Nancy Sabogal, RN, with the new Sapiens PICC line guidance system.

“This is a major step forward in how we deliver care,” said Lawler, Clinical Leader of IV Therapy. “This new technology allows us to place a PICC line in a manner that is faster, safer and more cost-efficient than our previous method.”

NSMC's Salem Hospital, which went live with the new PICC system in November, is the first hospital in New England to employ this new technology. Union Hospital, also part of NSMC, will implement this new positioning method in coming months. NSMC is a member of Partners HealthCare.

“PICC lines are safe, reliable intravenous lines that allow patients to receive medication, blood products, nutrients, chemotherapy and other IV fluids essential to their treatment,” saiddd Kathy Jones, RN, Nurse Manager for IV Therapy. “They are placed in the arm using a local anesthetic and can remain in place for days, weeks and even months. These lines keep patients on schedule for their intravenous therapy and blood draws while avoiding the pain of multiple needle sticks that would ordinarily be necessary.”

Traditionally, a PICC line is inserted into a vein in a patient’s upper arm above the elbow and advanced across the chest until it reaches the Superior Vena Cava (SVC), one of the largest veins in the body, located above the heart. To ensure that the PICC line is positioned correctly, a chest X-ray has commonly been required--a step no longer required with the new technology.

The new Bard Sapiens Tip Confirmation System, as it is called, which has been used in Europe for more than a decade and increasingly in the United States, combines ultrasound for vein assessment and access, magnetic PICC tip tracking, and an electrocardiogram for final confirmation of location in the chest.

“Nurses can now ‘see’ the PICC line as it is inserted, receiving immediate and continuous feedback as it enters the SVC and is securely positioned,” explained Lawler.

“The data from the EKG reading is far superior to the traditional X-ray,” added Jones. “Now we know, right at the bedside, where the PICC line is located, eliminating the need for an X-ray and any delays associated with getting it processed and read by a radiologist.”

The new system also helps NSMC meet safety guidelines set by the Joint Commission around reducing X-ray exposures for both patients and clinicians.

Approximately 85 percent of the 800-plus annual PICC line insertions performed at Salem Hospital are expected to be done using the new Sapiens technology.

Advancing Health Care: Partners HealthCare Telestroke Center

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Partners TeleStroke Center connects remote hospitals with stroke experts at Massachsetts General Hospital (MGH) and Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) who can help diagnose a patient's stroke through the use of telemedicine and video monitoring technology. This video features Lee Schwamm, MD, FAHA, of the Partners Telestroke Center and MGH.

Advancing Health Care: Building Tomorrow's Health Care Workforce

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Student Success Jobs Program provides internships at Brigham and Women's Hospital to students in Boston Public High Schools each year. This video features alumni who credit the program with steering them toward studying careers in health care.

Advancing Health Care: Personalized Genetic Medicine

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Partners HealthCare Center for Personalized Genetic Medicine (PCPGM) develops genetic tests to create personalized treatment options for patients. The advancements that PCPGM is making in the field of genetics are used directly in improving patient care. Hear from Heidi Rehm, PhD, FACMG, on her work at PCPGM.

First 2012 babies born at Brigham and Women's Hospital

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A pair of twins born at Brigham and Women's Hospital claimed the title of first new babies of the Boston area in 2012. Grace Kathleen Grillo was born at 12:10 am, one minute before her brother, Luke Christopher Grillo.

Ten area hospitals shared news with each other concerning the first babies born in 2012.

Read more from The Boston Globe.

Better Living Promo January 2012

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Partners Community Health will be featured in the second in a series of Better Living with Liz Walker TV shows.

The show features Partners in Career and Workforce Development graduate - and Brigham and Women’s employee - Rhonda Maloney; the award winning RevereCAREs program of MGH’s Center for Community Health Improvement; cutting edge violence prevention programming work for and by young people at Southern Jamaica Plain Health Center; Hospitality Homes; and Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program.

Watch Better Living with Liz Walker on Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 7:30pm on Channel 5.

Medical Director of Partners HealthCare at Home named 'Home Care Champion'

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Terrence O'Malley, MD, Medical Director for Partners HealthCare at Home, was recently named 'Home Care Champion' of the year by the Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts. The award, given out earlier this month, highlights Dr. O'Malley's work on improving the transition between hospital and home that patients make. He also has been a key contributor to the creation of a statewide electronic health information document for home care patients.

Partners HealthCare Selected as 'Pioneer' ACO

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

BOSTON – Partners HealthCare has been selected to participate in a new Pioneer Accountable Care Organization (ACO) model. The initiative, sponsored by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center, aims to transform the way that health care is delivered by providing Medicare patients with higher quality, while slowing cost growth through enhanced care coordination.

“Health care in this country is in the midst of an exciting and historic period of change,” said Gary L. Gottlieb, MD, President and CEO of Partners HealthCare. “On behalf of our patients, we feel a deep sense of responsibility to lead the way when it comes to improving the delivery of care and addressing the question of affordability. By partnering with CMS, we know we can make progress in both of these areas.”

The Pioneer ACO Model is designed to encourage the development of accountable care organizations, which are groups of doctors and other health care providers who work together to provide high quality care for their patients. Partners was chosen specifically as one in a diverse group of leading-edge health care organizations from around the country to test the effectiveness of several new models of payment.

“These Pioneer ACOs represent our nation’s leaders in health systems innovation, providing highly coordinated care for patients at lower costs,” said Marilyn Tavenner, Acting Administrator of CMS. Partners has demonstrated significant experience in providing high quality, coordinated care, and we are excited to partner with them.”

Under the Pioneer ACO Model, CMS will provide incentives for participating health care providers who form an organization to coordinate care for patients. Providers who band together through this model will be required to meet quality standards based upon, among other measures, patient outcomes and care coordination among the provider team.

CMS will use robust quality measures and other criteria to reward ACOs for providing beneficiaries with a positive patient experience and better health outcomes, while also rewarding Partners for reducing growth in Medicare expenditures for the same patient population.

Unlike a managed care plan, Medicare beneficiaries will not be locked into a restricted panel of providers. The Pioneer ACO Model is not a health plan or managed care plan. Under the Pioneer ACO Model, beneficiaries seeing doctors participating in an ACO will maintain the ability to see any doctor or health care provider, as well as the full benefits associated with traditional Medicare.

Today’s announcement was the culmination of a competitive selection process that began in May with the national release of a Request for Applications from CMS. The Pioneer ACO Model is one of a number of initiatives developed by CMS’ new Innovation Center, which was created by the Affordable Care Act to test new models of health care delivery and payment.

A History of Partnership

Partners has a history of partnering with CMS to improve care and reduce costs. In 2006, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) launched the Care Management Program, one of six demonstration projects nationwide. During the three-year demonstration, MGH developed new strategies to improve the delivery of health care to its most vulnerable high risk patients, those with multiple health conditions and chronic disease. The demonstration was so successful that in 2009 CMS renewed it; Partners expanded the initiative to Brigham and Women’s and North Shore Medical Center. To learn more about the Care Management Program click here and here.

Partners HealthCare is an integrated health system founded by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. In addition to its two academic medical centers, the Partners system includes community and specialty hospitals, community health centers, a physician network, home health and long-term care services, and other health care entities. Partners HealthCare is committed to patient care, research, teaching, and service to the community. Partners is one of the nation’s leading biomedical research organizations and a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Partners HealthCare is a non-profit organization.

Partners HealthCare Center for Connected Health 2011 Progress Report

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The Partners HealthCare Center for Connected Health is working to create a new model for health care delivery, by developing programs and innovative strategies to move care from the hospital or doctor's office into the day-to-day lives of patients.

In the pages of the 2011 Progress Report, you can learn more about the programs that are connecting health care providers to their patients in new and exciting ways.

Find the 2011 Progress Report report here.

Partners HealthCare Center for Connected Health's Kvedar spoke at mHealth Summit, a national event

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

In advance of the mHealth Summit, Joseph Kvedar, MD, Founder and Director of the Partners HealthCare Center for Connected Health, sat down with iMedicalApps to discuss why he was attending the summit, how the Center for Connected Health has made advancements in the field of connected health, and how he saw mHealth as important to the future of caring for patients. Find the full interview here.

The mHealth Summit describes itself as the largest event of its kind that brings together "government, the private sector, industry, academia, providers and not-for-profit organizations from across the mHealth ecosystem to advance collaboration in the use of wireless technology to improve health outcomes in the United States and abroad."

Dr. Kvedar was also featured in an article by Healthcare IT News abouut whether the doctor or patient is more important in driving the advancement of the mHealth field.

Find more information on the Center for Connected Health on their website.

Center for Connected Health featured on Discovery Channel program about Health IT

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare's Center for Connected Health was recently featured in a Discovery Channel special program about health IT. Watch how patient George uses remote monitoring techniques provided through the Center for Connected Health to measure his progress and monitor his health from home. Not only is George able to watch his own health, but his health is reviewed by nurses and other clinicians each day through the use of new technology.

The program originally aired on November 19, 26, and December 3.

View the video from The Discovery Channel. (Center for Connected Health portion begins around 6:48.)

Genomeweb interviews Executive Director of IT for Partners HealthCare Center for Personalized Genetic Medicine

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Genomeweb, a publisher of materials for the field of molecular biology, featured Sandy Aronson, Executive Director of IT for Partners HealthCare's Center for Personalized Genetic Medicine (PCPGM). Aronson spoke to Genomeweb at last month's Personalized Medicine Conference, hosted by PCPGM. Aronson talked about how technology will be a part of the solution for some major genetic projects, including sequencing a patient's genetic makeup.

View the video.

NSMC nurse named as a finalist for Schwartz Center Compassionate Caregiver Award

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Sue Nevins, a neonatal care nurse at North Shore Medical Center, was as a finalist for the Schwartz Center Compassionate Caregiver Award. Nevins has worked in the Special Care Nursery at NSMC for 36 years. The Compassionate Caregiver Award is a prestigious award that recognizes one person every year who has worked to provide empathetic care to patients with open communication, among other qualities. Nevins has specifically worked with the smallest and most fragile patients in the hospital, and has also developed new programs for grieving parents.

NSMC is a member of Partners HealthCare.

Read more about Nevins and the other finalists on the Schwartz Center for Compassionante Healthcare website and in this article from NSMC.

Two Brigham and Women's Hospital cardiologists honored by American Heart Association

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The American Heart Association honored two cardiologists from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) at its 2011 Scientific Sessions last month.

Peter Libby, MD, chief of cardiovascular medicine at BWH was awarded the Basic Research Prize for directing an outstanding research lab and adavancing cardiovascular science.

Frank Sacks, MD, senior physician at BWH was awarded the Research Achievement Award for his contributions to better understanding the role that diet plays in understanding heart disease and stroke.

Read more about their acievements from The Boston Globe.

BWH goes smoke free as part of Great American Smokeout

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) and nine other Boston area hospitals announced last week they would be going smoke free. The announcement came as part of the Great American Smokeout, a national event.

BWH has prohibited smoking on its campus, including its outdoor spaces. This ban applies to its downtown Boston location as well as its satellite locations. The hospital has created a comprehensive program to aid employees in their attempts to quit smoking as part of this commitment.

Read more from The Boston Globe.

BWH research study finds blood type may indicate chance for stroke

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

A recent study done by Brigham and Women's Hospital researchers has found that one's blood type may affect the likelihood of stroke. The study, presented at the annual conference for the American Heart Association, finds increasing evidence that people with blood types AB and women with type B blood are slightly more likely to suffer a stroke than those with type O blood, which is the most common type. Researchers were unable to prove a direct link, but these findings fit in with other research around blood types.

Read more about the study and findings from The Boston Globe.

Secretary JudyAnn Bigby, MD joins Spaulding Rehabilitation Network and Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission to Launch Working Partners Program

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Contact:
Tim Sullivan, Communications and Media Relations
Spaulding Rehabilitation Network
(617) 573-2918, (617) 501-5985 (Cell)
tsullivan11@partners.org

Cambridge, MA- The Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (MRC), Spaulding Rehabilitation Network (SRN), State and Community Leaders joined Thursday November 17th at Spaulding Hospital Cambridge for the official announcement of the ground-breaking Working Partners Program. Dr. JudyAnn Bigby, Secretary of Executive Office of Health and Human Services of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts served as the keynote speaker. Working Partners is a first of its kind public/private partnership designed to enable persons with disabilities new avenues to employment.

“As our economy and health care needs evolve, we need to look at every way possible to provide people chances to contribute. Providing avenues for people to get back to work benefits the Commonwealth in so many ways and perhaps, most importantly, can serve as an important part of the recovery process for patients who are newly disabled,” said Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. JudyAnn Bigby.

Barriers to employment for persons with disabilities are significant with current unemployment rates over 50% higher for those with a disability according to the US Department of Labor. The Working Partners Program looks to address this urgent need by focusing on vocational rehabilitation and returning patients and consumers to work encouraging economic self-sufficiency and improving their quality of life.

“At Spaulding we see so many people who are newly disabled looking to move forward with their lives post injury. However, for far too long the barriers to continuing their careers or finding new avenues of employment have been almost insurmountable, forcing many to live outside the work force,” said David Storto, President Spaulding Network. “Creating collaborative programs like Working Partners will help empower persons with disabilities to be able to contribute their immense talents and energies for the benefit to all.”

The Working Partners program provides on-site vocational rehabilitation services to qualified candidates with disabilities. The program welcomes both local community members and patients from Spaulding. An MRC employment specialist works side by side with qualified candidates and potential SRN managers in navigating state and local resources, with the ultimate goal of placement into vacant positions within Spaulding as well as other businesses. With the expected growth in healthcare jobs in the coming years, the chance to establish experience as a healthcare professional can create lifelong career opportunities.

Doug Palmer, a Unit Service Aide a Spaulding Hospital Cambridge is one the programs initial success stories. “Each day I get to contribute as part of the team. Just today I was able to help a patient who seemed down at first and when I left she had a smile on her face. I know that a career in healthcare is for me, having this job really has given me a sense of purpose,” Palmer told the audience.

Working Partners first began as a pilot project between SRN and MRC. To date from the pilot project, SRN has hired 6-7 candidates for positions at Spaulding. In addition, MRC has held multiple educational sessions for SRN case managers regarding available patient resources and navigation of those systems and programs. Working Partners offices will be located at Spaulding Hospital Cambridge. For more information or to become part of the Working Partners Program, call 617-573-2395.

Read more about this program on Connect with Partners.

About the Spaulding Rehabilitation Network

A member of Partners HealthCare, The Spaulding Rehabilitation Network includes Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital-Boston (main campus), a 196-bed facility, as well as Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Cape Cod. Additional locations include the two long-term care facilities Spaulding Hospital Cambridge and Spaulding Hospital North Shore and two skilled nursing facilities, as well as twenty-three outpatient sites throughout the Greater Boston area. Spaulding is a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School as well as the official rehabilitation hospital of the New England Patriots. Spaulding is the only rehabilitation hospital in New England continually ranked since 1995 by U.S. News and World Report in its Best Hospitals survey with a #5 ranking in 2011. For more information, please visit www.spauldingnetwork.org.

How to Talk With Young People About Healthy Living; State House Forum Draws Hundreds

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Contact: Julia Christopher
Partners HealthCare
jcchristopher@partners.org
617.278.1063

BOSTON, MA – Community and legislative leaders heard directly from young people about the importance of healthy living as part of an effort to address the epidemic of childhood obesity at an educational forum at the Massachusetts State House this morning.

Chloe, 11 from Charlestown, changed her eating habits after learning from her doctor that her weight had reached an unhealthy range. “When I’m eating well and exercising it makes you feel good,” Chloe says. “You only get one body and you have to be responsible of your body.”

The event marked the premiere of the new DVD Words Can Work: Kids and Healthy Lifestyles. Words Can Work creator, Jeanne Blake, seen in the photo below, said, “We identified a key, missing element in the national dialogue about childhood obesity: helping families talk about factors that contribute to the epidemic. This film shows parents and other caring adults in kids lives how to begin these valuable conversations.”

In the video clips, three young people describe how talking about physical activity, nutrition and healthy weight with a parent or other caring adult resulted in healthier lifestyles. Following a screening of the film, clinical and policy experts answered questions from an audience of more than 300 educators, young people, and health care providers.

“We are so grateful to all who shared their stories of how they were able to work through difficult healthy living issues, and to begin making healthier choices,” said Gary L. Gottlieb, MD, President and CEO, Partners HealthCare, seen in the photo to the left. “This is an issue that affects all of us and will take all of us, working together, to solve. Through the hospitals, the health centers and our community partners, we are deepening our commitment to the communities we serve and helping young people and their families live healthier lives in healthier neighborhoods.”

The forum, presented by Partners HealthCare, in collaboration with Words Can Work, was co-sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The forum was co-hosted by Massachusetts State Senator Richard T. Moore, Representative Steven M. Walsh, and Representative Jeffrey Sánchez.

“Obesity is one of the most pressing public health issue of our time,” said Lauren Smith, MD, MPH, Medical Director, of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. “Through our statewide measurement of body mass index in schools, we know that over 30 percent of our school children are overweight or obese. This is true even for children in grade 1. It is imperative that we couple strategies like those discussed today with policy and environmental changes at the community level to help young people and their families make healthier choices. We have to do this to keep the next generation’s lifespan from being cut short by preventable and costly chronic illnesses like heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and even some types of cancer.”

Public health experts and the Massachusetts Legislature worked long and hard to pass the School Nutrition Bill, and after years of advocacy, it was signed into law last year. “Through this law, we are providing a new tool to educators and health and wellness leaders in schools across the Commonwealth,” said Senator Richard T. Moore, Chair, Joint Committee on Health Care Financing. “Providing more than a million children each day with nutritious options to eat in schools will help to prevent costly diseases like diabetes, and enable young people to live healthier lives.”

The Department of Public Health and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education are currently implementing the standards of the state’s new school nutrition bill which will have an impact on approximately one million school children in the Commonwealth. “We are aiming to ensure that all children in Massachusetts’ public schools are provided healthy foods and beverages that will enhance learning, contribute to their healthy growth and development, and cultivate lifelong healthy behaviors,” said Kate Millett, Executive Director of the Office of Nutrition, Health, and Safety programs at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Chair, Joint Committee on Health Care Financing, Steven M. Walsh said, “Healthy living education has the potential to provide future health care cost savings. Educating young people about how their overall health will benefit from physical activity, good nutrition, and healthy weight will help them to lead healthier and more productive lives, and push back against preventable diseases like diabetes and heart disease.”

House Chair Joint Committee on Public Health Jeffrey Sánchez said, “The Massachusetts Legislature is committed to providing children in the Commonwealth with tools that enhance their learning and help them to make healthy choices. The School Nutrition Bill is a significant step in that direction and we continue to work to ensure the healthiest choices are available to all of our young people.”

Panelists at today’s forum included Melissa Dimond, ScM, Chelsea HealthCare Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Barbara Ferrer, PhD, Executive Director, Boston Public Health Commission; Bruce Masek, PhD, Clinical Director, Outpatient Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Service, Massachusetts General Hospital; Kate Millett, Administrator, Nutrition, Health and Safety, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education; Julie Redfern, RD, Manager, Nutrition Consult Services, Brigham & Women's Hospital; Jennifer Rosenblum, MD, Weight Management Program, Director, MassGeneral Hospital for Children at Newton-Wellesley Hospital; Lauren Smith, MD, Medical Director, Massachusetts Department of Public Health; Lindsay Shaw, EdM, EdD, Sparking Life; and Jean Wiecha, PhD, Director, GoKids Boston Research, Training and Outreach Center, UMass Boston.

Words Can Work® was created by Jeanne Blake, president and founder of Blake Works Inc. and Family Health Productions. Blake Works produces and distributes multimedia, about the public and mental health challenges kids face growing up. Its advisors are researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other leading institutions including Harvard Medical School, where Blake is an affiliated faculty member with the Division on Addictions, and McLean Hospital, Harvard's largest psychiatric facility, where Blake serves as a trustee.

Partners HealthCare is an integrated health system founded by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. In addition to its two academic medical centers, the Partners system includes community and specialty hospitals, community health centers, a physician network, home health and long-term care services, and other health-related entities. Partners is one of the leading biomedical research organizations and a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Partners HealthCare is a non-profit organization.

Partners Community Health leads the organization-wide commitment to improve the health and well being of low-income and vulnerable populations. Our commitment to the community is the largest of any health care provider in Massachusetts, representing over 80 programs benefiting more than 115,000 residents. Partners Community Health works closely with Partners hospitals, 21 licensed and affiliated community health centers serving 350,000 patients, and local organizations to enhance health care access for patients, increase economic opportunity, and improve the health of communities through prevention initiatives and addressing longstanding health disparities.

Center for Connected Health receives $25 K grant to run text messaging initiative

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare Center for Connected Health has received a $25,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation to develop a text messaging program aimed at kids ages 11-17 in the Boston area. The program will specifically try to improve nutrition habits. Kids will receive text message alerts with nutritional reminders and personalized information based on their health goals.

Partners HealthCare Center for Connected Health hosts annual Connected Health Symposium

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The Partners HealthCare Center for Connected Health hotsed its annual Connected Health symposium on October 20 and 21 in Boston, MA. More than 1,000 attendees joined to learn about the latest advances in the field connected health and discuss how to make health care a larger part of everyday home life for patients. This year's theme for the symposium was "Driving Quality Up and Costs Down: New Technologies for an Era of Accountability."

Topics covered included Accountable Care Organizations, the use of social media in reaching patients, up-and-coming technological product developments, a business model for telehealth, the convergance of genomics and connected health, and many more.

Find more information about the Symposium at its website.

Joseph Kvedar, MD, Founder and Director of the Center for Connected Health, gave a keynote speech at the Symposium. Find video of his address here.

You can also find media coverage of the event:

HealthLeaders Media published the article "Six Steps to Creating a Connected Health Program" which detailed the following six steps:

Create objectives and a justification
Design the program
Choose technologies and operational processes
Build adoption engagement
Evaluate your efforts
Start all over again

Healthcare IT News also published the article "Connected Health Symposium looks for answers to healthcare's troubling questions." The article detailed the ongoings of the symposium.

MGH receives community service award from the Association of American Medical Colleges

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has awarded Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) its 2011 Spencer Foreman Award for Outstanding Community Service. The award is one of the most prestigious honors that the AAMC bestows. At MGH the Center for Community Health Improvement is responsible for carrying out the hospital's community mission.

To win the award, MGH showed its strong involvement in the local and global communities, as well as its commitment to educating community providers of the future.

Read the full announcement from MGH. You can also read an article about this prize from The Boston Globe.

MGH is a founding member of Partners HealthCare.

Spaulding Hosts Expert Discussion of Post Concussion Syndrome in "From Battlefield to Ball Fields" Panel

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Contact:
Tim Sullivan, Communications and Media Relations
Spaulding Rehabilitation Network
(617) 573-2918, (617) 501-5985 (Cell)
tsullivan11@partners.org

Boston, MA- Spaulding Rehabilitation Network (SRN) and the Harvard Medical School Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation recently hosted its annual Ralph and Irene Epstein Rosenthal Memorial Lecture for 150 healthcare professionals and educators on the topic of “From Battlefields to Ballfields: The Impact of Post Concussion Syndrome." Dr. Ross Zafonte, VP of Research Education and Medical Affairs, SRN, Dr. Andrew Judelson, Physiatrist, Spaulding Cape Cod, Beth Adams, Med, LRC, Neurotrauma Rehabilitation Specialist and Spaulding Hospital North Shore Case Manager and Boston Bruins Head Trainer Don DelNegro all participated in the lecture with Emily Riemer, co-anchor of WCVB’s weekend EyeOpener serving as emcee.

“The brain is incredibly complex and the disease models of concussion are just as complex. Often brain injuries are referred to by clinicians as the most complex disease in the most complex organ. New information is being published all the time and from our heroes in combat to professional and amateur athletes awareness is of utmost importance,” said Dr. Zafonte.

With new statistics pointing to almost 4 million concussions in youth sports per year and 1 in 10 soldiers suffering blast related concussions at its peak in Iraq and Afghanistan, the issue is only growing in importance. The overriding message for all involved was testing is key and its vital to note that each person is unique.

DelNegro stressed that the awareness among professional athletes, particularly after the lockout in the NHL has grown. He noted that the tools such as baseline testing and return to play guidelines are certainly helpful however they must be paired with the training and medical team to support them. The entire panel acknowledged the increased awareness of professional athletes and role modeling better return to play models helps at all levels of sports.

DelNegro also wanted to stress for parents and coaches to check their player’s helmets. “While in many ways the designs of helmets have improved, they are not designed to last forever. Parents, players and coaches should check the certification date, check the helmet for ay damage and replace them regularly to maximize their effectiveness,” said DelNegro.

Spaulding Rehabilitation Network is one of the leaders in concussion and brain injury care in the region with its twenty three outpatient centers and 6 inpatient facilities providing specialty concussion and brain injury care. Spaulding is also a center of research on concussion and brain injury with over a dozen ongoing studies on the topic. Spaulding is a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School as well as the official rehabilitation hospital of the New England Patriots and Revolution.

Partners HealthCare Earns 'Top Place To Work' Honors Honors From The Boston Globe

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

For Immediate Release

BOSTON – Partners HealthCare has been named one of The Boston Globe’s 2011 Top Places to Work in Massachusetts. The Globe’s 100 Top Places to Work magazine was published in the Boston Sunday Globe on November 6.

The Top Places to Work recognizes the most progressive companies in the state based on employee opinions about company leadership, compensation and training, diversity/inclusion, career development, family-friendly flexibility, and values and ethics. Private companies and nonprofits as well as publicly-held businesses were included in the analysis.

“Our employees are the foundation of our excellence in health care,” said Gary L. Gottlieb, MD president and CEO of Partners HealthCare. “This recognition is a fitting tribute to the important role of each and every member of the Partners team as they enable us to provide skilled and compassionate care to our patients, their families and the communities we serve.”

“I’d like to extend my congratulations to Partners HealthCare for their inclusion in the 2011 issue of The Boston Globe’s Top Places to Work, and for so clearly demonstrating effective ways to create a positive work environment,” said Boston Globe Publisher Chris Mayer.

The Boston Globe engaged WorkplaceDynamics, specialists in employee engagement and retention, to survey employees at 237 participating companies, receiving completed surveys from 73,813 individuals. Each was asked to grade their organization’s performance according to 24 distinct statements, ranging from “New ideas are encouraged at this company, ’’ to “It’s easy to tell my boss the truth.” In addition, all the employers were invited to complete a 12-question survey on workplace practices.

To compile the ranking, each employer was measured according to six factors: Direction, execution, managers, career, conditions, and pay and benefits.

All of the participating employers were placed into one of three size groups, based on the number of employees in Massachusetts, to account for the “small company effect’’ found in such surveys. Small workplaces were defined as those with 100 to 249 employees; midsize workplaces were defined as those with 250 to 999 employees; and large workplaces were those with 1,000 or more employees. All companies were then ranked within their size band.

About Partners HealthCare

Partners HealthCare is an integrated health care system, founded by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital that offers patients a continuum of coordinated and high-quality care. In addition to its two academic medical centers, Partners includes community and specialty hospitals, a physician network, community health centers, home health and other health care entities. Partners HealthCare is committed to patient care, research, teaching, and service to the community. Partners is one of the nation’s leading biomedical research organizations and is a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Partners HealthCare is a non-profit organization.

Better Living Video: Shared Appointments

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Shared appointments are helping patients with similar conditions see their physicians more quickly, and foster a sense of community. Multiple patients all attend one appointment with a caregiver to learn strategies that help them to live healthier lives. The clip profiles a group of pregnant women at the Codman Square Community Health Center and a group of patients with back pain at North Shore Community Health Center in Danvers.

Better Living Video: KAYA

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

KAYA is a bi-cultural program at the Lynn Community Health Center. KAYA offers Cambodian teens opportunities to engage in community service and build leadership skills through youth-led programming. For many young people in Lynn, gangs are part of their lives. KAYA offers teenagers healthier choices that led to healthier lives. KAYA is a collaboration among many area organizations, including Partners HealthCare, North Shore Medical Center, and the Lynn Community Health Center. Other organizations involved include the Greater Lynn YMCA, Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma, Catholic Charities North and Gordon College. Youth leadership is a priority for Partners-affiliated institutions, and this is one great example of that in action.

Better Living Video: Fitzgerald Youth Sports Institute Obesity Prevention

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The Fitzgerald Youth Sports Institute is partnering with Partners HealthCare, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Charlestown Community Health Center on obesity intervention that focuses on lifestyle change. It aims to teach young people in Boston how to make better nutritional choices about what they eat and drink. Instructors work with kids to help them understand just how much sugar they are drinking in sodas, juices, and sports drinks and how it affects their health.

MGH Institute Raises $388,000 For Student Scholarships

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Contact:
John Shaw
jshaw@mghihp.edu
Office: 617-726-4276
Cell: 978-761-0313

MGH Institute of Health Professions raised more than $388,000 at its 5th Annual Scholarship Gala on October 24.

More than 360 people attended the event, held in the new wing of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, where guests took in the new Degas and the Nude exhibit.

Partners HealthCare President and CEO Gary Gottlieb, MD, was the evening’s Special Guest.

“Since its founding in 1977, the MGH Institute has been educating some of the best health care professionals in the country,” Dr. Gottlieb told the audience. “Hundreds of graduates work throughout the Partners system, and they play a crucial role in caring for our patients. Producing highly qualified professionals who will care for an aging and increasingly diverse population is now more important than ever.”

The event’s final amount included just under $45,000 pledged by audience members during a live auction.

Proceeds from the Gala will fund scholarships for students in nursing, physical therapy, speech-language pathology, and medical imaging who attend the Boston health sciences graduate school.

"Our mission of educating the best health care leaders continues to resonate with people,” said MGH Institute President Dr. Janis P. Bellack. “Money raised at the event allows us to provide vital scholarship support to a wide range of talented students.”

Four individuals or organizations each underwrote scholarships of $25,000 that are going to a currently enrolled student. These Scholarship Champions are:

Sumner W. Brown
CVS MinuteClinic
Massachusetts General Hospital
George and Nancy Putman

John Hancock Financial Services donated $15,000 as a Scholarship Investor.

Three members of the MGH Institute Board of Trustees served as co-chairs for the event: Ari Buchler, a technology advisor; John Connors III, president, Boathouse Group Inc.; and Joseph H. “Joe” Knowles, Jr., Executive Director, Institute for Health Metrics.

Gala Committee members were: Julie Atwood Drake, Susan Brown, Matthew E. Fishman, Shauna Gallagher, John Glaser, Lena G. Goldberg, MaryEllen Graham, ’09, ’10, Bette Ann (B.A.) Harris, Elizabeth (Trish) Joyce, and Eleanor M. Malloy.

More than 1,100 students attend the Institute, which is located in the historic Charlestown Navy Yard along the Boston waterfront. The student population has increased 83% during the past six years as the school has expanded existing programs and added new degrees in response to the country’s shortage of health care professionals.

The school has several direct-entry programs highly ranked by U.S. News & World Report:

Doctor of Physical Therapy is ranked 1st in New England, and tied for 7th in the country;
Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology is ranked 1st in New England, and 24th in the country; and
Master of Science in Nursing is now ranked 3rd in New England, and in the top 10% in the country.
The MGH Institute was recently named for the second consecutive year as a Great College to Work For by the highly regarded Chronicle of Higher Education.

MGH Institute of Health Professions, founded by Massachusetts General Hospital in 1977, is an innovative and independent graduate school in Boston that operates within the framework of Partners HealthCare. A progressive leader in developing comprehensive models of health care education, the MGH Institute prepares advanced practice professionals in the fields of nursing, physical therapy, speech-language pathology, and medical imaging through a distinctive combination of academic study, clinical practice, and research. More than 1,100 students are enrolled in graduate level and certificate programs, with an increasing number of courses available online. The Institute is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

Spaulding Hospital North Shore Selected to Treat Libyan War Wounded

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

For Immediate Release
Contact:
Tim Sullivan, Communications and Media Relations
Spaulding Rehabilitation Network
(617) 573-2918 (O), (617) 501-5985 (M)
tsullivan11@partners.org

Salem, MA- The recent war and subsequent overthrow of long-time dictator Moammar Gadhafi resulted in an urgent humanitarian need in Libya with thousands wounded and severely injured. The Libyan National Transition Council (LNTC) with support from the US Government reached out to care facilities in the United States for experts in rehabilitative care and selected the Spaulding Rehabilitation Network based in Boston, Massachusetts to begin to treat some of the wounded Libyan fighters.

“As a leader in rehabilitative care, the clinicians and staff at Spaulding are fully prepared for the challenge ahead to help these war-wounded patients,” said David Storto, President, Spaulding Rehabilitation Network.

The first group of Libyan war wounded was sent to the Spaulding Hospital North Shore in Salem, Massachusetts on Saturday night October 29th. Many of these patients sustained various injuries in the conflict from complex orthopedic injuries, multi-level trauma and nerve damage. It’s estimated the initial group will require a month or more of rehabilitative programs in wound care, physical and occupational therapy and physician led treatment that Spaulding will provide and if need, resources from the Partners HealthCare network will be available.

“As clinicians, our goal is always first and foremost to help those in need in anyway we can. The sheer scale of the conflict has created a humanitarian crisis that any of us as part of the international community must come forward to assist as much as possible. Our physicians, therapists, and nurses are ready to help these patients attain their highest level of recovery possible,” said Dr. Ross Zafonte, VP of Research, Education and Medical Affairs, Spaulding Rehabilitation Network.

The funding for these efforts is provided by the LNTC. Spaulding has reached out to the Massachusetts area Libyan community to help provide support during these patients’ adjustment to a new country with familiar foods, books and language. The group has been placed on one unit at Spaulding Hospital North Shore to allow a sense of community and focus staff resources to best support the unique needs of the war wounded patients.

The Spaulding Rehabilitation Network has a long history of providing care and expertise during urgent international humanitarian needs. Most recently, teams of Spaulding Therapists were on the ground in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti Earthquake and continue to assist on infrastructure efforts for persons with disabilities in Haiti. “The care and expertise of our dedicated clinicians at Spaulding often knows no borders and we are always ready to assist as much as we can wherever it’s needed,” said Storto.

Find media coverage of the Libyan patients being treated at Spaulding Hospital North Shore.

The Boston Globe published this article on November 11.

Channel 7 News- WHDH aired this story on November 10.

WGBH's Greater Boston aired this segment on November 22.

PBS NewsHour aired this video on January 4.

Costumed Babies Reunite at North Shore Medical Center

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Contact:
Kevin Ronningen, NSMC
(978) 354-3017
kronningen@partners.org

Salem, Mass. (October 20, 2011) – Some of North Shore Medical Center (NSMC) Salem Hospital’s tiniest patients were invited back to the hospital for a festive, Halloween-themed reunion to celebrate their miraculous births and recoveries. Last year alone, hundreds of babies were admitted to the hospital’s Special Care Nursery. Despite entering the world early, weighing as little as two pounds or facing other complex health problems, the babies have grown and thrived and hospital staff were excited to reunite with their little patients.

“There is a special bond between the hospital staff and the babies that visit the Special Care Nursery. We care for them and the parents during a very intense and scary time,” said Sue Nevins, RN, Special Care Nursery. “We are often amazed at how much the babies have grown. It’s rejuvenating for the entire staff to witness.”

More than 100 infants and toddlers attended and reunited with hospital nurses, therapists, and physicians.

About the Special Care Nursery at Salem Hospital

The Special Care Nursery is an intermediate level care nursery. Premature babies, multiple births such as twins and triplets and other babies with medical difficulties are cared for in the Special Care Nursery by specially trained neonatologists and neonatal nurses.

Babies are usually born at Salem Hospital’s Birthplace or in a high-risk, academic medical center in Boston, including the hospital’s two partners, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. These parents have their babies transferred to Salem so they can be closer to their North Shore homes.

Spaulding and Partners HealthCare Host Premiere Showing for the Boston Community of PBS Independent Lens Film “Lives Worth Living”

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Media Contacts:
Tim Sullivan                                                                                     Julia Christopher
Communications and Media Relations                                      Communications Manager, Community Health
Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital                                              Partners HealthCare
(617) 573-2918, (617) 501-5985 (Cell)                                     (617) 278-1063
tsullivan11@partners.org                                                           jcchristopher@partners.org

For Immediate Release:

Boston, MA- In honor of National Disability Awareness Month, health care leaders Spaulding Rehabilitation Network and Partners HealthCare hosted almost 200 area leaders, health care professionals, elected officials, and members of the community with disabilities for a special viewing of the film Lives Worth Living produced and directed by award winning documentary filmmaker Eric Neudel. The film is the first television history of the decades-long struggle for equal rights for persons with a disability. The premiere event brought together a diverse cross section including those who were part of the historic fight for disability rights to those young people with disabilities who grew up in a world after the historic Americans with Disabilities Act.

"Lives Worth Living is a powerful reminder that although we have made great strides toward improving accessibility, there is still more work to do to ensure that we are providing the highest quality of care for all of our patients,” said Gary Gottlieb, MD, President and CEO Partners HealthCare. “Through our strong partnership with the disability community and the Boston Center for Independent Living (BCIL), we are committed to improving access to all those who depend on the care we provide."

The film viewing was followed by a panel discussion focusing both on where the disability rights movement has been as well as what progress is still yet to be made. Moderated by noted disability advocate Oz Mondejar of the Spaulding Rehabilitation Network, the panel featured Charles Carr, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (MRC), Christine Griffin, Assistant Secretary for Disability Policies and Programs at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, and filmmaker Eric Neudel. David Storto, President of the Spaulding Rehabilitation Network and former MRC Commissioner Elmer Bartels welcomed the audience and introduced the film.

“The struggle for disability rights in this country like many others in our history began because a few courageous people challenged the accepted status quo. Through their movement’s dogged perseverance and indomitable spirit they have made the lives of millions of Americans better. The message of this movie is so core to what we at Spaulding do each day that it was our humble honor to play a role in helping bring this film to life and host this event tonight,” said David Storto, President, Spaulding Rehabilitation Network.

Lives Worth Living traces the development of the disability rights movement from its beginning following World War II, when thousands of disabled veterans returned home, through its burgeoning in the 1960s and 1970s, when it began to adopt the tactics of other social movements. Told through interviews with the movement’s pioneers, legislators, and others, Lives Worth Living explores how Americans with a wide variety of disabilities — including the blind, deaf, mentally, and physically challenged — banded together to change public perception and policy. Through demonstrations and legislative battles, the disability rights community finally secured equal civil rights with the 1990 passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, one of the most transformative pieces of civil rights legislation in American history.

Lives Worth Living premieres on the Emmy® Award-winning PBS series Independent Lens, on Thursday, October 27, 2011 at 10 PM (check local listings). To learn more about the film, and the issues involved, visit the film’s companion website at www.pbs.org/independentlens/.

Lives Worth Living is a co-production of Storyline Motion Pictures, LLC and The Independent Television Service (ITVS), with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) with support from the Spaulding Rehabilitation Network.

About the Spaulding Rehabilitation Network

A member of Partners HealthCare, The Spaulding Rehabilitation Network includes Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital its main campus, a 196-bed facility, located in Boston, as well as Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Cape Cod, two long term care facilities Spaulding Hospital Cambridge and Spaulding Hospital North Shore and two skilled nursing facilities, as well as twenty three outpatient sites throughout the Greater Boston area. Spaulding is a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School as well as the official rehabilitation hospital of the New England Patriots. Spaulding is the only rehabilitation hospital in New England continually ranked since 1995 by U.S. News and World Report in its Best Hospitals survey with a #5 ranking in 2011. For more information, please visit www.spauldingnetwork.org.

About Partners HealthCare

Partners HealthCare is an integrated health system founded by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. In addition to its two academic medical centers, the Partners system includes community and specialty hospitals, community health centers, a physician network, home health and long-term care services, and other health-related entities. Partners is one of the nation’s leading biomedical research organizations and a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Partners HealthCare is a non-profit organization. For more information, please visit www.partners.org.

Partners HealthCare at Home's Kathy Duckett spoke about "Innovations in Expanding Primary Care Capacity" for IOM

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) hosted a public session in September on “Innovations in Expanding Primary Care Capacity”, which was held in Washington D.C. Kathy Duckett, RN, Director of Clinical Programs, Partners HealthCare at Home (PHH), presented on the value of telemedicine at the public session. The session focused on federal guidelines that surround geographic adjustment factors in Medicare payments. Joining Duckett were James Dickson, Chief Executive Officer for Copper Queen Community Hospital in Arizona and Rachel Morgan, RN, BSN, Health Committee Director for the National Conference of State Legislatures.

“With 10,000 baby boomers becoming eligible for Medicare each day, and many managing one or more chronic illnesses, we need to think differently on how we can provide the right care at the right cost in the right place,” said Duckett who spoke on behalf of home care and other health care agencies across the country that are using telemonitoring to expand health care resources. “Telemedicine can help us think about what’s possible outside of the walls of the hospitals and physician offices that can help our patients living with chronic diseases.” With its emphasis on both patient education and the use of a monitor that remotely tracks vital signs, patients learn effective ways to manage their illness in the natural environment of home.

The IOM study is part of the recent health reform legislation that will assist federal officials in determining accuracy of Medicare payments. Duckett pointed out that telemedicine can lead to costs savings for physicians, hospitals and the health care system as global payment structures continue to shape health care practice. “With telemedicine, we can intervene early before a symptom worsens and requires hospitalization,” said Duckett. “As a result, we save valuable healthcare dollars,” said Duckett. With Partners’ Connected Cardiac Care Program, a telemonitoring program run in partnership with the Center for Connected Health, re-hospitalizations were reduced by 67% for patients with heart failure leading to a significant savings to the system.

“Through telemonitoring, we can intervene early and effectively to prevent unnecessary hospitalizations, reduce costs, and help patients become more engaged in managing their illness and a more active member of their healthcare and their healthcare team.”

Watch her presentation, “Moving Away from Visit-Based Care."

Physicians from Partners hospitals elected as members to Institute of Medicine

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Four Partners physicians were recently elected as members to the Intitute of Medicine. This election is one of the greatest honors that a physician can achieve and represents his or her dedication to the field of medicine as well as to service.

The Partners physicians include:

Atul Gawande,MD, MPH, surgeon at Brigham and Women's Hospital
Jay S. Loeffler, MD, Chair of radiation oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital
JoAnn E. Manson, MD, MPH DrPH, Chief of preventive medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital
James H. Thrall, MD, Radiologist in Chief, Massachusetts General Hospital

Find the full list of the 65 newly elected members.

BWH and DFCI launch new effort to study cancer

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Cancer researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) announced yesterday they will collaborate on collecting tumor specimens and looking for genetic mutations as part of a new study. The researchers will be hunting for cures for specific cancers based on their genetic makeup. The program, called Profile, is two years in the making.

All of the specimen collections will be voluntarily provided by adult cancer patients receiving treatment at the two hospitals. Researchers hope to collect 10,000 specimens each year and create a comprehensive cancer database that will allow for better study of cancers. BWH has contributed $8 million to the initiative and DFCI has contributed $35 million to the initiative for the first five years. This will pay for researchers, lab equipment, and supplies for testing.

Read more about Profile from BWH.

Read coverage of this announcement from The Boston Globe.

Partners HealthCare Center for Connected Health Awarded McKesson Foundation Grant to Develop Text Messaging Program for Diabetes Patients

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Media Contact:
Gina Cella
Cella Communications
781-334-4692
ginacella@comcast.net

Boston, MA-- The Center for Connected Health, a division of Partners HealthCare, today announced it has received a research grant from the McKesson Foundation’s Mobilizing for Health initiative, to develop a text messaging program to help diabetes patients better manage their condition. The goal of the Mobilizing for Health initiative is to improve health outcomes among under-served patients with chronic diseases using mobile health (mHealth) technologies that have proven successful. The grant program aims to provide a clearer understanding of how mobile phones can be used to improve health outcomes, and study findings could indirectly impact millions of patients around the world.

“We are honored to have been selected by the McKesson Foundation as a 2011 grant recipient,” said Joseph C. Kvedar, MD, Director, Center for Connected Health. “Our experience with text messaging programs in underserved patient populations is demonstrating great potential for providing low-cost, accessible educational messaging to patients, and we applaud the Foundation for their support of innovative, technologydriven solutions for chronic disease management.”

“The Mobilizing for Health research grants allow us to increase the evidence base for mobile health interventions,” said Carrie Varoquiers, President of the McKesson Foundation. “The use of mobile phones in healthcare seems very promising, especially in low-income populations with chronic diseases, but we need to better understand what works before these interventions can be scaled.”

The Center’s randomized, controlled clinical trial will integrate a text messaging program into an existing Diabetes Self-Management and Education (DSME) program at three of Massachusetts General Hospital’s community health centers representing medically underserved and low-income populations in the Boston area. The goal of this study is to assess the effect of personalized text messages on clinical outcomes and physical activity in patients with Type 2 Diabetes, many of whom are obese or have low levels of activity. Results will be measured by change in HbA1c (the clinical measure for blood sugar control), as well as patients’ engagement, usability and satisfaction with the program. This study will also use pedometers to measure physical activity, to better target messages to engage patients in behavior change to increase their activity levels.

Text messages will include coaching to improve activity levels, and reminder, educational and motivational messages to help patients meet their diabetes selfmanagement goals. The text messages, offered in English or Spanish, will be personalized for each patient based on their initial stage of behavior change, or willingness to change behavior.

“While DSME programs have shown to reduce complications, improve diabetes selfmanagement and quality of life, diabetic patients are likely to discontinue recommended behavior changes without ongoing support,” noted Kamal Jethwani, MD, MPH, Lead Research Scientist, Center for Connected Health, and Principal Investigator for this study. “By adding two key connected health cornerstones – objective data collection and targeted personalized feedback – we believe that patients will adopt new behaviors
sooner and maintain healthy behavior for longer. And, because text messaging is a lowcost, widely available technology, we hope to improve the overall quality of diabetes management for a larger pool of patients.”

McKesson Foundation Vision and Mission

Founded in 1943, the McKesson Foundation envisions a world where affordable, quality healthcare is available to all. The Foundation is dedicated to supporting McKesson
employees' community involvement efforts and improving the health of patients through improved healthcare quality, personal health management, and lower healthcare costs.
To that end, each year the McKesson Foundation contributes more than $5 million to nonprofit organizations working in our communities.

About the Center for Connected Health

The Center for Connected Health, a division of Partners HealthCare, is creating effective, new solutions and innovative interventions to deliver quality patient care outside of the traditional medical setting. Our programs use a combination of remotemonitoring technology, sensors, and online communications and intelligence to improve patient adherence, engagement and clinical outcomes. The Center also offers expert online second opinions, virtual visits, and engages in innovative research to uncover new models for better care. The Center’s Consulting Services assist companies, providers and other organizations to learn more about entering the connected health space and to prepare products and services for integration into the healthcare delivery system. Visit www.connected-health.org.

Boston-based Partners HealthCare is an integrated health system founded in 1994 by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. In addition to its
two academic medical centers, the Partners system also includes community and specialty hospitals, community health centers, a physician network, home health and
long-term care services, and other health-related entities. Partners is one of the nation’s leading biomedical research organizations and a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard
Medical School. Partners is a non-profit organization. Visit www.partners.org.

BWH Team Performs Bilateral Hand Transplant

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

A team of more than 40 surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists, residents, radiologists, and physician assistants performed a bilaterial hand transplant during a procedure that took more than 12 hours to complete. The Brigham and Women's Hospital team transplanted the hands for a Revere resident earlier in October.

This is the second bilateral hand transplant that the team at BWH has performed since the announcement of the hand transplant proram in August 2010. BWH also has perfomed one partial and three full face transplant since May 2009.

The recipient of the bilateral hand transplant, Richard Mangino, lost his arms below the elbows and legs below the knees after he contracted sepsis in 2002. View a video of Mangino talking about what the transplant means to him.

You can also find media coverage of the transplant from The Boston Globe and Channel 7 News.

Additionally, find more information from BWH.

Partners' newly renegotiated contract with BCBS mentioned in New York Times article about Massachusetts Health Care

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

In 2006, Massachusetts became the first state in the U.S. to require that its residents have health insurance. Five years later, the state is learning what that law has meant for the cost of health care.

A New York Times article about this topic mentions Partners HealthCare's recent contract renegotiation with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts as an example of a large hospital system that is willing to join the global payment system. Additionally, the agreement shows that hospitals and insurance companies are working on their own to help reduce costs to residents.

Read the full New York Times article.

Better Living with Liz Walker

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Through an exciting new partnership with Partners HealthCare, Liz Walker and the Better Living team are highlighting community health programs at Partners hospitals and the health centers over the next several months. The pieces represent our commitment to the communities we serve and to enhancing access to health care, building tomorrow’s health care workforce, and improving the health and well-being of our communities through prevention.

Dr. Gottlieb Introduces Better Living

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Gary Gottlieb, MD, President and CEO of Partners HealthCare, introduces the Better Living tv show and some of the communitiy initiatives in which Partners is participating.

Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Selected by NIDRR as an Spinal Cord Injury Model System Site

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Media Contact:
Tim Sullivan, Communications and Media Relations
Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
(617) 573-2918, (617) 573-2891 FAX
tsullivan11@partners.org

Boston, MA- Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital announced today that it’s Spinal Cord Injury Program has been selected as a Spinal Cord Injury Model System site by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). The Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems (SCIMS) program was established by the Rehabilitation Services Administration in the early 1970s. The grants are awarded in five year cycles by NIDRR through an extremely selective process with only 14 national sites. NIDRR awards SCI Model Systems grants to institutions that are national leaders in medical research and patient care. Each site provides the highest level of comprehensive specialty services, from the point of injury through rehabilitation and community reentry. Dr. Leslie Morse will serve as Program Director and Dr. Ross Zafonte will serve as Administrative Co-Director.

“Being selected by NIDRR as an SCI Model System site is a tremendous achievement and recognition for Spaulding and the Harvard Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. This grant will enable us to effectively harness the convergence of science and medicine that Spaulding can provide to push our understanding of the biology of recovery and improve the lives of people with spinal cord injuries,” said Dr. Ross Zafonte, VP of Research, Education and Medical Affairs, Spaulding Rehabilitation Network and Chairman of the Harvard Medical School Department of PM&R at Spaulding.

This funding will allow Spaulding clinicians and researchers to improve both regional and national understanding of SCI treatment models. Each SCI Model Systems site contributes to the national SCI Model Systems Database for a better understanding of long-term health outcomes. Spaulding will also expand its participation in collaborative research and expand education and outreach efforts to inform individuals with SCI, their family and care givers, health care professionals and the general public about our work.

“The SCI Model Systems grant recognition by NIDRR serves to both further enhance Spaulding as a national leader in rehabilitative care and research as well as also providing our talented clinicians the tools to greatly enhance the knowledge base of SCI for the communities we serve. From those who are just beginning their recovery from SCI to those who have lived years post injury, this grant will enable Spaulding to have a greater ability to make a positive impact on their lives,” said David Storto, President, Spaulding Rehabilitation Network.

Partners HealthCare Delivers $240 Million in Savings to Consumers

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare today announced that it has reached an agreement with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts that will reduce the growth in health care spending by nearly a quarter of a billion dollars over the next three years. The agreement is a renegotiation of an existing contract and achieves three major objectives:

Partners and BCBS are reducing the amount that Partners would have received by $80 million in 2012. Over the life of the three-year contract, this translates into about $240 million in total savings.
Partners is entering into global payments and taking on risk, as recommended by the Special Commission on Payment Reform. By entering into BCBS’ Alternative Quality Contract, Partners will be required to meet or exceed quality measures for its patients and Partners will be required to keep cost growth lower than the network average for the rest of the BCBS provider network.
Rate increases during the contract period will be held in line with general inflation.

“Partners wants to lead the way and tackle some of health care’s toughest challenges and this announcement represents an important step toward slowing growth in health care costs,” said Gary L. Gottlieb, MD president and CEO of Partners HealthCare. “The marketplace expects providers and insurers to find new ways to work together and keep cost growth down. We continue to explore even more ways to achieve that goal.”

Last December, Partners made a one-time commitment of $40 million dollars to help reduce health care premiums by either making a lump sum payment or by re-opening existing contracts. With this agreement, Partners has exceeded that original commitment and created additional savings to be passed along to consumers. Partners will continue to work with other insurers in the hopes that more savings can be realized.

This agreement builds on a set of sweeping initiatives that Dr. Gottlieb has put into place to redesign the delivery of care at Partners to both improve quality and reduce costs. The initiative has initially targeted five high cost conditions including diabetes, colon cancer and stroke. Partners strategic plan also places a heavy emphasis on making the Partners system less costly by examining where savings could be realized in hospitals and institutions without affecting patient care.

“The agreement with Blue Cross is very much aligned with what we have been working toward over the past year – improving our quality and slowing the growth of health care costs,” said Gottlieb. “But there is a great deal of work to be done and providers across the country are being asked to rethink health care. Working with government leaders, businesses, consumers and others, we hope that Massachusetts can once again lead the way for the nation on the cost issue as we did on the access issue.”

Read more on this announcement from Dr. Gottlieb on Connect with Partners.

You can also read coverage of this agreement in the media:

BWH's Student Success Jobs Program featured recently on NBC Nightly News

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

As part of a week-long series about education in America, NBC Nightly News featured the students, mentors, and staff of Brigham and Women's Hospital's (BWH) Student Success Jobs Program (SSJP), which has graduated 275 students in the last decade.

SSJP, a program of BWH's Center for Community Health and Health Equity, introduces Boston high school students to professions in the medical and science fields by providing an intensive, year-round employment and mentoring opportunity. Many of the students enrolled in the program come from the city's lowest income communities.

View the NBC News segment featuring students and staff.

Find additional "Web-Only" footage of students enrolled in the program and the Youth Development Manager who runs the program.

NE Revolution, Spaulding, and Mass General Offered Free Youth with Disabilities Soccer Clinic

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Media Contact:
Tim Sullivan, Communications and Media Relations
Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
(617) 573-2918, (617) 573-2891 FAX
tsullivan11@partners.org

Foxboro, MA –Coaches whistles, soccer drills and player chatter coming from the practice field at the Dana Farber Field House are familiar sounds during the soccer season. The players on this day however were not just some of the Revolution stars but also over seventy area youth with disabilities there to enjoy an afternoon of fun and learning.

The New England Revolution, Spaulding Rehabilitation Network and Massachusetts General Hospital partnered for the seventh year to host a free Youth with Disabilities Soccer Clinic on Tuesday, September 27th at the Dana Farber Field House at Gillette Stadium. Revolution players Matt Reis, Zak Boggs, Bobby Shuttlesworth, Tim Murray and Zack Schilawski as well as Revolution Academy Coaches ran the participants through various drills to enhance their skills and enjoyment of soccer. The event was designed to be a welcoming environment for children of various ages and abilities to learn both about soccer and team work.

“As coaches and players, we enjoy doing events like this because it’s about the pure joy of sport. Giving kids of all abilities the chance to play soccer will only help them become more confident in all aspects of their lives. We are all quite proud to work with great partners like MGH and Spaulding to welcome these wonderful kids, parents and community groups to join us on the field,” said Deven Apajee, Revolution Academy Director.

"To able to provide this event now for seven years is the result of the strong partnership Massachusetts General Hospital and Spaulding have with the New England Revolution. We are all so proud to partner to provide this terrific community event free of charge to the many deserving area groups and parents. It’s a chance for children to push themselves and truly see what they are capable of and also get to spend time with some of their favorite soccer stars," said Oz Mondejar, VP of Community Relations, Spaulding Rehabilitation Network.

"The children who participate in this clinic spend so much of their lives hearing about what they can’t do, but after two hours of soccer with the Revolution players, they’re very eager to tell you all about what they can do. It’s a great feeling for everyone – the children, their parents, and our staff. We’re very happy to offer this opportunity," said Jeff Davis, Senior VP of Human Resources, Massachusetts General Hospital.

The participants came from a variety of area groups such as Partners with Youth for Disabilities, Special Olympics, TOPS Soccer and Easter Seals. Participants not only learned soccer skills but had a chance for a question and answer session with the Revolution players and also get autographs. "I really liked the New England Revolution Clinic, it was totally awesome and would love to do it again. With meeting the Revs, I really enjoyed how they worked with all of us,” said Jessie Bland, participant.

About the Spaulding Rehabilitation Network

A member of Partners HealthCare, The Spaulding Rehabilitation Network includes Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital its main campus, a 196-bed facility, located in Boston, as well as Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Cape Cod, two long term care facilities Spaulding Hospital Cambridge and Spaulding Hospital North Shore and two skilled nursing facilities, as well as twenty three outpatient sites throughout the Greater Boston area. Spaulding is a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School as well as the official rehabilitation hospital of the New England Patriots. Spaulding is the only rehabilitation hospital in New England continually ranked since 1995 by U.S. News and World Report in its Best Hospitals survey with a #5 ranking in 2011. For more information, please visit www.spauldingrehab.org.

About Massachusetts General Hospital

Massachusetts General Hospital, established in 1811, is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The MGH conducts the largest hospital-based research program in the United States, with an annual research budget of more than $500 million and major research centers in AIDS, cardiovascular research, cancer, computational and integrative biology, cutaneous biology, human genetics, medical imaging, neurodegenerative disorders, regenerative medicine, systems biology, transplantation biology and photomedicine. http://www.massgeneral.org/

Partners HealthCare Celebrates Employee Citizenship Program

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT

For Immediate Release: September 27, 2011
Media Contact: Julia Christopher
jcchristopher@partners.org
617.278.1063

BOSTON, MA – Partners HealthCare celebrated dozens of employees attaining citizenship through a new workforce development program, available at hospitals and locations throughout the Partners system. The new program is a collaboration between Partners Human Resource and Community Health departments, Jewish Vocational Service (JVS), and the Fish Family Foundation. It is made possible by a grant to JVS from the Fish Family Foundation.

The program is free to all eligible employees and their family members, and is designed to make the process of attaining citizenship easier through classes that prepare participants for the citizenship test. Since Partners joined the program in January 2009, more than 150 employees have applied for citizenship and 82 have attained citizenship. Partners is the largest private employer in the area participating in the program.

At a reception celebrating employees who have attained citizenship - and those who are working towards it - Gary L. Gottlieb, MD, President and CEO, Partners HealthCare congratulated some of the country’s newest citizens and said, “You are a vital part of the Partners community, and you support our mission of serving and providing our patients with the highest quality of care and patient experience. By making the remarkable journey to American citizenship, you have decided to root yourself here, to participate deeper in your communities, and to engage in the political process – serve on a jury, vote, or even run for elected office.”

A wide range of employees from Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Newton-Wellesley Hospital, Faulkner Hospital, North Shore Medical Center and Partners Corporate representing 57 different countries of origin have participated in the program.

Lawrence Fish, founder of the Fish Family Foundation congratulated the group and said, “It’s not where you came from it’s who you are.” He also explained his unique perspective about citizenship, “Being married to an immigrant myself, I have seen firsthand the challenges faced by many families to coordinate complex paperwork amongst different countries and numerous government agencies. By offering citizenship classes near people’s place of employment, the program is able to help working adults access citizenship in an efficient, streamlined way.”

Dennis Colling, Vice President of Human Resources for Partners HealthCare thanked employees for participating and acknowledged the deep commitment to the program by the Fish Family Foundation and JVS and said, “Attaining citizenship is an issue that is personal to Mr. and Mrs. Fish as she went through the process of becoming an American citizen and experienced first hand how challenging it can be – and then they decided to do something about it to help others, for which we are all grateful. Through the test preparation and civics lessons offered by the instructors at JVS, our employees are able to fully prepare for the citizenship test and take it with confidence.”

Colling also acknowledged the workforce development team and the supportive Human Resource Managers from across the Partners system for helping to make this program a success.

Jerry Rubin, CEO of JVS said, “This program empowers individuals and enhances their lives and careers. We are pleased to work with the Fish Family Foundation and Partners HealthCare and take what can be a daunting process for many people and make it more manageable. The committed instructors create a supportive classroom environment that enables participants to thrive and meet their goals of becoming U.S. citizens.”

Francois Joachim, Lead Transport in the Transport Services Department at Newton-Wellesley Hospital attained his citizenship after taking the classes. Francois is originally from Haiti and lives in Boston. “Twenty years ago, I came here with the desire to become an American citizen, but in reality it was always a challenge. The program with its classes and wonderful teachers gave me an opportunity and made it easy for me. Now, I am an integral part of the United States of America.”

Dr. Paul Firth, Anesthesiologist at Mass General Hospital for Children, came to the United States fourteen years ago to do his residency. He met his wife here and they are raising their three children here. But it was during his volunteer work onboard the United States Naval Ship Comfort after the devastating earthquake in Haiti that he decided to attain citizenship. He said, “I was so impressed with the efforts by the United States to quickly mobilize broad and deep disaster relief efforts, and
I witnessed such an enormous outpouring of care and support demonstrated by my colleagues at the hospital and many other people in this country – it crystallized the idea of U.S. citizenship for me.”

To be eligible to participate, participants must have a green card (or an equivalent), must be a permanent resident for at least five years, be moderately proficient in English, and must be able to pay the fee for the application for naturalization.

New technology being tested at Spaulding Rehab Hospital enables paralyzed patients to walk again

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT

New technology that enables paralyzed patients to walk again is being tested at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital (SRH). The medical device, called eLEGS, uses robotic technology to push paralyzed patients to walk. Through external sensors and motors, the device helps coordinate steps. Tthe device is undergoing investigational testing at SRH and nine other rehabilitation hospitals. SRH piloted it on six patients last week and hopes to roll out use to the entire hospital next year.

Read more from The Boston Globe.

Partners' Dr. Elizabeth Mort shares knowledge of upcoming value-based purchasing system

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Medicare will soon be providing an incentive for hospitals to provide high quality care to their patients. The pay for performance initiative, called value-based purchasing, incentivizes hospitals to focus on 12 clinical measures as well as patient satisfaction ratings. Beginning in fiscal year 2013 hospitals are at risk of losing reimbursement money if they are part of the "poor performers" sector.

Dr. Elizabeth Mort, Senior Medical Director for Partners HealthCare and Vice President for Quality and Safety at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Massachusetts General Physicians Organization, spoke with Modern Healthcare about how Partners and MGH are preparing for this reimbursement change. She talked about how the system already has worked on many of the quality of care standards but intends to expend more effort on those measures that will be included in Medicare's new incentive system.

Partners HealthCare is Connecting Pregnant Women to Care with Text Messaging

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Contact: Julia Christopher
jcchristopher@partners.org
617.278.1063

Pregnant moms at Brookside Community Health Center in Jamaica Plain will be participating in an innovative text messaging program that is designed to offer support and encourage the recommended level of prenatal care.

The program is being piloted by Partners Community Health – an area of Partners HealthCare – and Partners’ Center for Connected Health. It will run for a year and is open to all pregnant patients at the health center who are followed by a Brigham and Women’s Midwife.

If patients would like to participate in the program, they will receive text messages beginning at 12 weeks into their pregnancies and continuing for two months after giving birth. The text messages will be in English and Spanish, and they will offer women helpful reminders about how to get in touch with their health care team, taking their prenatal vitamins, drinking enough water, counting their baby’s movements, purchasing a car seat and many more.

“This is a unique and cutting-edge way to keep our patients connected to care, and we are delighted to be able to share in this opportunity,” said Paula McNichols, Executive Director of Brookside Community Health Center. “Our team of clinicians at the health center is dedicated to their patients, and this text messaging pilot is another tool that can help them to continue to deliver high quality care.”

The text messages were first piloted last year at the Lynn Community Health Center with 25 young, pregnant women, and had positive results. The messages were found to encourage more women to receive the recommended level of prenatal care, and give the moms-to-be a feeling of being closely connected to their care team. A majority of the women who participated told us that the text messages also helped them to learn more ways to take care of themselves and their babies.

“The text messaging experience was very effective with the first group of pregnant women, so we are excited to have the opportunity to expand that experience to include more patients,” Matt Fishman, Vice President for Community Health for Partners HealthCare said. “Through partnerships with the Center for Connected Health and our partners in the community at the health centers – we are finding more ways to make deeper commitments to the people and neighborhoods we serve, and to help them to improve their overall health and well being.”

Technology continues to offer opportunities to motivate and educate patients in innovative ways. “In an increasingly mobile society, text messaging is a mainstream mode of communication for many people,” said Dr. Joe Kvedar, Director of the Center for Connected Health. “At the Center for Connected Health, our goal is to move healthcare out of the doctor’s office and into the day-to-day lives of our patients. We are using readily-available technology, such as cell phones, to engage patients and help them better manage their health.”

Gift to MGH Cancer Center establishes Henri and Belinda Termeer Center for Targeted Therapies

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Henri and Belinda Termeer have donated $10 million to Massachusetts General Hospital to create the Henri and Belinda Termeer Center for Targeted Therapies. Henri Termeer is the former president and CEO of Genzyme Corporation and Belinda Termeer serves as a director on the Mass General Cancer Center Leadership Council.

The Center, which is part of the 25-year-old Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, will focus on researching and developing personalized treatments for certain types of cancer. José Baselga, MD, PhD, chief of Hematology/Oncology, will lead the Henri and Belinda Termeer Center for Targeted Therapies. Baselga is considered one of the world's leading experts in cancer.

Read more from The Boston Globe.

After Alzheimer's drug trial failures, BWH research physician Dennis Selkoe provides commentary

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT

After what can be considered a disheartening run for Alzheimer's Disease researchers, Dr. Dennis Selkoe, a research physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) who is a world leader in the fight against Alzheimer's, wrote a perspective piece for the journal Nature Medicine discussing concerns and explanations for the field. The Alzheimer's field has seen recent failures of late-stage trial drugs.

Selkoe's piece also describes opportunities for successful research trials in the future.

Read more from an interview with Selkoe in The Boston Globe.

Find a press release from Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Partners HealthCare announces plan to save $300 million in health care costs over next three years

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 12:00:00 GMT

As part of Partners HealthCare's recently announced strategic plan, A Case for Change, the organization is announcing a commitment to saving $300 million in health care costs over the next three years. This plan, developed with the help of clinical and administrative leaders at Partners hospitals and institutions, provides a road map for making care more affordable for our patients. The strategic plan is a three pronged approach that focuses on:

reducing cost through eliminating inefficiencies in our overhead and direct patient expenses.
redesigning care associated with specific medical conditions in order to eliminate unnecessary expenses while improving the patient experience and maintaining the highest standards of quality.
renewing focus on public awareness of the Partners mission, contribution to the community, and commitment to quality.

By the end of this fiscal year, Partners HealthCare will have achieved $80 million in savings. These savings, as well as the rest of the $300 million in savings, have and will come from the care redesign efforts, efficiently managing internal resources within Partners, and making an environmentally friendly strategy a systemwide priority.

Partners wants to be part of the solution to lowering health care costs for residents and businesses across Massachusetts. "Our goal is to manage utilization and costs and create savings for our patients," said Gary Gottlieb, President and CEO of Partners HealthCare.

Read more about Partners' plan to save $300 million on Connect with Partners.

Pharmaceutical companies likely paying Massachusetts physicians less in promotional fees

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT

A recent analysis by The Boston Globe and ProRepublica found that Massachusetts physicians are likely earning far less than they did in 2009 for promoting the products of drug companies. Eli Lilly and Company reported paying physicians in Massachusetts 46% less than they paid Massachusetts physicians in 2009, according to The Boston Globe.

Partners HealthCare rolled out a strict policy prohibiting its physicians from receiving any payments from pharmaceutical companies for promoting drugs in 2010. Partners was concerned about the conflict of interest created by physicians promoting pharmaceutical products and wanted to better manage the relationships its health care professionals had with industry.

Read more from The Boston Globe.

Andrew Ference Brings the Stanley Cup to Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Media Contact:
Tim Sullivan, Communications and Media Relations
Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
(617) 573-2918, (617)501-5985 (Cell)
(617) 573-2891 FAX
tsullivan11@partners.org

Boston, MA- When the Bruins ended their long 39-year drought this past June winning the Stanley Cup, every corner of New England rejoiced. The patients and staff of Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital can indentify with the challenge of overcoming difficult struggles more than most. As the cup began touring the world many throughout the hospital hoped they too might catch a glimpse of the famous trophy. The Bruins and Bruins Foundation have a long relationship with Spaulding including visits to the Spaulding Pediatric Unit each December as part of their annual holiday events. Defenseman Andrew Ference joined the team four years ago and has been part of many visits to Spaulding and developed a strong connection to the people and patients he met. When his day with the Stanley Cup came he knew Spaulding would be on his list to visit. So on a sunny Labor Day holiday, pulling up to the hospital just yards from the Garden on his bike with the Stanley Cup in tow, Ference delivered on a promise to the hundreds of patients and staff assembled, giving them a day they would never forget.

“To come to Spaulding was always at the very top of the list for my day with the Stanley Cup Day. During so many of our visits, I’m always blown away every time I come here. The patients and the staff are inspiring and work so hard to get better that I was grateful to share some time with them,” said Andrew Ference, Boston Bruins Defenseman.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino, himself a former patient at Spaulding, was on hand to greet Ference with Spaulding President David Storto and congratulate him on his momentous achievement.

“What the Bruins did for the city and our region was inspiring. But it’s the commitment of the players like Andrew who are also part of our community to give back to their neighbors and wonderful places like Spaulding that truly makes them champions,” said Mayor Thomas M. Menino.

As Ference first was greeted by a welcome of over 100 patients recovering from everything from stroke, traumatic brain injury to serious burns, it soon became apparent the impact that his visit and the sight of the Cup had. “Andrew has been such a strong supporter of Spaulding for several years and we are so honored that on his one day with the Stanley Cup he made our patients, staff and families a priority. This is something that will lift their spirits as they continue to work towards their recoveries,” said David Storto, President, Spaulding Rehabilitation Network.

View the following videos from WCVB and Comcast Sports Net to find out more about Ference's visit to the hospital.

Boston Globe editorial analyzes potential affiliation between Partners and Neighborhood Health Plan

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT

In a recent editorial, The Boston Globe analyzed the proposed affiliation between Partners HealthCare and Neighborhood Health Plan (NHP), by which NHP would become a member of Partners. The Globe ultimately says that more efficient networks to deliver health care should be encouraged, which is what this affiliation would likely offer.

Read the Boston Globe editorial, Partners-Neighborhood Health: An odd couple that could click.

Partners President and CEO named as one of the most influential people in health care for 2011

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare President and CEO Gary Gottlieb has been named as one of Modern Healthcare's 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare for 2011.

Find the full list of people from Modern Healthcare.

Foxborough teams up with Partners staff to asses, teach student-athletes about concussion safety

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The town of Foxoborough is working with Partners staff and physicians this fall to educate students and families about the dangers of concussions and the risks in returning to the playing field too early.

Foxborough's athletic director Craig Najarian recently spoke to the Foxborough Patch about how the high school is educating students. He explained that the high school hosts an assembly featuring a Partners physician who speaks about concussions.

Additionally, Partners HealthCare has purchased a software program called imPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Test) that allows the school to test students for concussion.

Massachusetts General Hospital care management program earns recognition in New York Times op-ed

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

In a recent New York Times op-ed, authors Ezekiel J. Emanuel and Jeffrey B. Liebman cite Massachusetts General Hospital's care management program as an example of a smart way to reduce health care costs. The authors are former White House advisors. The op-ed acknowledges that cuts to Medicare are inevitable; however, there are smart ways to achieve these cuts, including better coordination of patient care.

Read the full New York Times op-ed.

View a video with physician leaders of the care management program, which has expanded to three Partners hospitals.

Representative John Tierney visits North Shore Medical Center to praise teen job creation efforts

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Representative John Tierney recently visited North Shore Medical Center at its Salem Hospital location. Tierney praised Partners HealthCare's job creation efforts for local teens after he visited with 15 students who worked at North Shore Medical Center and Spaulding Hospital North Shore this past summer. Partners HealthCare funds a local youth employment program called FirstJobs. Tierney said he is working hard to fix youth underemployment .

The students held eight-week positions in many areas of the hospitals, including the operating room, food services, grounds and maintenance, and administrative areas.

Partners HealthCare health IT use recognized in Bloomberg News column

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

In a Bloomberg News column about the ways that health information technology can improve patient care and lower costs, Peter Orszag recognized Partners HealthCare's pioneering efforts in the field. Orszag, the former Director of the Office of Management and Budget for the Obama Administration, discussed how Partners' implentation of health IT and roll out of the electronic health record has allowed the health care system to more efficiently deliver care.

Specifically, Orszag calls out how Partners has used its electronic system to compare physician's use of imaging, and reduce imaging rates across the system.

Read the Bloomberg News column.

Camp Harborview provides chance for teens to be leaders

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Camp Harborview provides hundreds of children from the city of Boston a chance to experience camp and learn how to be a leader. The camp, which has been supported by Partners HealthCare since it began in 2007, runs throughout the summer, providing campers a chance to experience Boston's Harbor Islands.

New this year is the Partners Health Explorers Program, a learning experience meant to fill the week gap between the end of the summer and the start of the school year. The Partners Health Explorers Program provides kids the opportunity to learn about careers in health care and take part in science experiments.

The Leaders-in-Training program, a part of Camp Harborview, offers teenagers who have attended the camp for one year the chance to build their leadership skills through peer learning. Since starting in 2008, the program has grown from 30 participants to 70 participants.

Read more about Camp Harborview from The Bay State Banner. Also, the Connect with Partners blog profiled Camp Harborview.

Two Charlestown residents awarded Partners HealthCare Merit Scholarships

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Two Charlestown residents were recently awarded merit scholarships by Partners HealthCare. The two students are currently pursuing degrees in the health care field. The scholarships are awarded jointly on behalf of the MGH Institute of Health Professions, MGH Charlestown Health Center, and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital.

Read more about the recipients, their achievements, and their involvement in the community in the Charlestown Patch article.

Massachusetts General Hospital's new 3D mammography machine offers enhanced breast cancer detection

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has introduced the latest in mammogram technology--a 3D mammography machine created by medical device company Hologic. The promise of 3D mammography is a reduction in false positives and improvement in the rate of breast cancer detection. MGH was the first hospital in the country to use this technology, and it is quickly being installed at hospitals around the nation. Early data show a 7% improvement in breast cancer detection when using 3D mammography.

In the public health realm, there has been much debate about mammograms and how often they are needed, and at what age women should begin getting regular mammograms. A government task force recommended pushing a woman's first mammogram until she is 50 years old, up from 40. This view was met with opposition from advocacy groups.

Read more about 3D mammography and the debate on screening from The Boston Globe.

New medical devices help seniors monitor health conditions from home

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Seniors are more often able to stay in their homes, out of the doctor's office, and on top of their medical conditions thanks to a host of new monitoring technology. Blood pressure cuffs, scales, and other monitoring tools can enable patients to check their own weights and values, as well as allow clinical staff to monitor the same data from afar. Telemonitoring is becoming more popular as patients try to avoid moving into nursing homes, or delaying for as long as is safely possible.

Kathy Duckett, director of clinical programs at Partners HealthCare at Home, spoke with The Boston Globe for a recent article about telemonitoring devices for seniors. One barrier to use is the perception that a patient is losing his or her independance.

Family of third face transplant recipient shows pictures of new face on NBC's "Today" Show

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The family of Charla Nash, who underwent the nation's third full face transplant at Brigham and Women's Hospital in May, showed pictures of Nash on NBC's "Today" Show. Nash was mauled by a neighbor's chimpanzee in February 2009, and has undergone a long road to recovery since the incident, which left her without many facial features. The family wished to express gratitude to the family of the face donor.

Partners leaders write "Perspective" in New England Journal of Medicine about EMR usage

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The use of an electronic medical record (EMR) can improve patient care immensely when used to its full capacity. However, flaws in the EMR and how clinicians use them are exposed upon diving into specific cases. Partners physician leaders Tejal Gandhi, MD, MPH, Gianna Zuccotti, MD, MPH., and Thomas H. Lee, MD, wrote a recent "Perspective" in the New England Journal of Medicine that examines how even with the use of a robust EMR, the complexities of delivering patient care continue to exist. The authors discussed the case of a patient who had previously undergone a splenectomy to study where holes in care delivery and the EMR exist, and how to fix these holes.

Read the Perspective from the New England Journal of Medicine.

Partners HealthCare, Neighborhood Health Plan Announce Plans to Affiliate

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare and Neighborhood Health Plan (NHP) have announced that a letter of intent has been signed that would bring the two non-profit organizations together. Under the plan, Neighborhood Health Plan would become a member of Partners HealthCare. Both NHP and Partners believe that combining the experience and expertise of both organizations will result in a stronger patient experience and address growing needs for care coordination and management, health equity, and the ability to help curb health care costs. Working together, these organizations will have the ability and flexibility to develop innovative patient- and family-centered models of care and craft new initiatives aimed at better managing care of complex conditions.

In making the announcement, Partners President and CEO shared the following message with employees:

Dear colleagues,

In today's health care environment, as we know, there is an expectation that hospitals, doctors, insurance companies and other interested parties will work together to create opportunities to ensure the delivery of high quality care, improve the coordination of care, deliver value in health care benefits and in doing so will help to bend the cost curve. With that backdrop, I am writing to share the news that we are engaged in discussions with Neighborhood Health Plan (NHP), a not-for-profit Managed Care Organization, about an opportunity to form a new relationship that could yield significant benefit for our patients. Over the past few months, NHP has been seeking a strategic partner to ensure that it is in the strongest position to further its mission, provide enhanced resources to community health centers and historically underserved communities and continue on a path of sustained growth.

?There are several reasons why our organizations would fit together well. Partners HealthCare and NHP share a deep commitment to provide the highest quality, highest value, culturally competent and compassionate care that is accessible to patients and their families. We are both deeply committed to Community Health Centers (CHCs) and the belief that CHCs are a cornerstone of a cost-effective health care delivery system, particularly for the underserved. Both organizations also have a long-standing history of collaboration and are strongly committed to serving the health care needs of low income and vulnerable populations in Massachusetts. The bulk of NHP's members receive their coverage through state programs, especially Medicaid (MassHealth) and Commonwealth Care.

We both believe that combining the experience and expertise of our organizations will result in a stronger patient experience and address growing needs for care coordination and management, health equity, and the ability to help curb health care costs. Working together, our organizations will have the flexibility to develop innovative patient and family centered models of care and craft new initiatives aimed at better managing care of complex conditions.

To be clear, this is not a purchase, but rather an affiliation by which NHP becomes a member of Partners HealthCare. This is a process that will take months and will require regulatory approval. We will keep you posted on developments as we move forward.

Thank you.

Gary L. Gottlieb, M.D.
President and CEO

For more on the planned affiliation, please read our fact sheet. Additionally, find coverage from The Boston Globe.

Home Base program develops new tool kit to screen for stress in children of military families

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The Home Base program, a group that is dedicated to improving the lives of veterans of deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan and their families, has created a new online tool kit to screen for stress in children of military families. Home Base is a partnership between Massachusetts General Hospital and The Red Sox Foundation.

The tool kit directs physicians on how to screen for stress that may come as the result of a family member's deployment, and how to help their patients find follow-up care. Home Base is currently reaching out to many parts of the community to teach how a family member's deployment can affect a child.

Read more about the tool kit provided by Home Base in this Boston Globe White Coat Notes blog post.

BWH physician makes recommendations regarding women's health as member of national panel

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Dr. Paula Johnson, executive director of the Connors Center for Women’s Health and Gender Biology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, recently provided input as part of a national panel regarding women's health. The panel is a part of the Institute of Medicine, which was asked by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to provide a report on preventive services for women that should be covered by insurers. The Affordable Care Act of 2010 required this review of preventive women's services.

Based on the panel's recommendations, women will be able to fill their birth control prescriptions at no cost beginning in August 2012. The panel made eight recommendations in total, including free lactation counseling and rented breast pump equipment for new mothers.

Find a Q & A with Dr. Johnson about women's health and her work on the panel on The Boston Globe's White Coat Notes blog.

View a video of Dr. Johnson, in which she answers questions about her work with the Institute of Medicine its recommendations on preventive services for women.

MGH physician works to provide patients with a new voice

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

For patients who lose the ability to use their voice, performing their jobs or existing in society has they have in the past can become difficult. Steven Zeitels, MD, director of the Center for Laryngeal Surgery and Voice Rehabilitation at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), is working with a biomedical engineer from MIT to create a synthetic material that can act as vocal folds. Air vibrates against the vocal folds to create the sound of a person's voice. The synthetic material being developed is gelatinous in nature and would be used in patients whose tissue has been damaged or removed.

The jello-like substance can be personalized, as well, so that one's voice can be audible and distinct. Although this substance is in need of more testing, researchers hope to pilot test with a small group of people next year.

Read more from The Boston Globe.

"Step it Up" Program tracks kids' steps in Dorchester

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

During the 2010-2011 school year, students at two Dorchester public schools took part in the Step It Up Program. The Step it Up Program represents the combined efforts of Partners’ Center for Connected Health, Partners Community Benefit and DotWell to offer smart pedometers to second, third, and fourth-graders. More than 170 students and their teachers participated in this 16-week pilot program, clipping smart pedometers onto their shoes to record the number of steps taken. As they walked about the school, small computer-linked antennae picked up the step counts and forwardedthem to a database.

Step It Up is a relatively simple way to engage students in the fight against obesity, using healthy competition as a means of reaching students.

MGH Palliative Care Program helps patients cope with serious illness

Sun, 24 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Palliative care, a growing industry that originated as an offshoot of hospice, can help patients suffering a serious illness handle emotional, physical, and spiritual needs. The palliative care program at Massachusetts General Hospital, which at 15 years old is one of the oldest in the country, sees many cancer patients, but also patients with heart, liver, kidney, and lung, disease, and patients with disease of the neurological system. Palliative care differs from hospice in that patients in hospice typically have decided to forgo treatment for their disease and have six months or less to live; palliative care patients are at many stages of treatment.

MGH's palliative care team consists of 10 doctors, five nurse practitioners, and one social worker. The team works with patients and their families to establish their needs and wants during what is often a tumultuous time, fraught with emotion.

Massachusetts General Hospital team visits Haiti to care for cholera patients

Sun, 24 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Haiti is suffering its second major cholera outbreak since the devastating January 2010 earthquake. A team of caregivers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has traveled to Haiti to treat cholera patients. The nation had not had a cholera outbreak since the 1960s but the disease has had a resurgence of late. Most people did not know the signs of cholera early on, but are now learning and more often seeking treatment.

The team from MGH is treating patients, but also teaching Haitian medical staff how to properly care for patients with cholera and how to educate patients on the signs of cholera. Patients can dehydrate and die within 48 hours if not treated properly.

Listen to a WBUR interview with one MGH team member.

Read more from The Boston Globe.

Massachusetts General and Brigham and Women's Hospitals Ranked on U.S. News National Honor Roll

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Media Contacts

MGH: Kristen Stanton, 617-643-3907
BWH: Kevin Myron, 617-534-1605
McLean: Adriana Bobinchock, 617-855-2110
Spaulding: Tim Sullivan, 617-573-2918
NSMC: Kevin Ronningen, 978-354-3017
NWH: Rachel Kagno, 617-243-6528

BOSTON – Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), the founders of Partners HealthCare, rank among the nation’s top ten hospitals on the U.S. News & World Report annual Honor Roll of America’s Best Hospitals. MGH ranked second (2) nationally and BWH ranked eighth (8). This achievement makes Boston the only city in the United States with two hospitals ranked among the top ten on the Honor Roll. In all, six Partners HealthCare hospitals were recognized in the report. The rankings, now available online, will be published in the magazine's August issue as part of its 2011-2012 Best Hospitals guide.

“At Partners, our four-part mission is to provide the best patient care, to conduct the scientific research that will yield the cures of tomorrow, to teach the next generation of health care providers and to serve our communities -- both on a local and global scale” said Partners President and CEO Gary L. Gottlieb, MD, MBA. “This mission enables us to attract the best and brightest minds to care for those most in need. Today’s recognition is a tribute to those doctors, nurses, researchers and educators working in our hospitals, our health centers and throughout our community. They help set Boston apart as the only city in the nation with two hospitals ranked among the top ten.”

New this year, U.S. News ranked hospitals by region. In addition to the national ranking listed above, MGH and BWH earned recognition as the #1 and #2 hospitals in the Boston metro area.

Nationally, Partners scored extremely well in the individual specialties rankings. BWH ranked among the top ten in kidney disease for the fifth consecutive year, while also ranking among the top three in gynecology. MGH was ranked first in psychiatry for the fifteenth consecutive year and ranked second for diabetes and endocrinology.

McLean Hospital ranked third in psychiatry, continuing to be the highest-ranking freestanding psychiatric hospital on the list.

Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital placed fifth in rehabilitation. It was again the only New England rehabilitation hospital making the list.

MGH was among the top ten hospitals in the country in fifteen specialties, including psychiatry, cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, diabetes and endocrinology, ear nose and throat (in partnership with Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary), gastroenterology, geriatrics, gynecology, nephrology (kidney disease) neurology/neurosurgery, ophthalmology, orthopedics, pulmonology, rehabilitation (in partnership with Spaulding) and rheumatology.

BWH ranked among the top ten hospitals in the country in six categories, including cancer (in partnership with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute), cardiology and heart surgery, diabetes and endocrinology, gynecology, nephrology and rheumatology.

U.S. News analyzed data on 4,852 medical centers to produce this year’s national rankings. Only 140 hospitals were ranked in one or more specialties and, of those, just 17 earned Honor Roll status.

The U.S. News regional hospital rankings complement the national rankings by including hospitals with solid performance nearly at the level of nationally ranked institutions. North Shore Medical Center (NSMC) and Newton-Wellesley Hospital (NWH) both earned regional recognition from U.S. News.

NSMC was recognized as high-performing in the area of Geriatrics and ranked #16 in the Boston area.

NWH was recognized as high-performing in Urology and was also ranked #16 in the Boston area.

Find the full list of hospital rankings from U.S. News and World Report.

Massachusetts General Hospital celebrates opening of Lunder Building

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Earlier in July Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) celebrated the opening of its newest building, the Lunder Building, a 530,000-square-foot, 14-floor medical facility located at the heart of MGH's main campus in Boston. The facility features the latest in medical technology and environmentally friendly design, and allows MGH to continue to provide advanced, patient-centered care. Construction of the Lunder Building began in 2005, and culimated late last month with several open houses during Lunder Dedication Week. The architecture firm NBBJ designed the new building and Turner Construction was responsible for its construction. The first surgical case is scheduled to be performed in August and the first inpatient stay is scheduled for September.

The Lunder Building represents the fundraising efforts of nearly 1,000 people and groups, and $191.7 million in donations. The Lunders, for whom the facility is named, donated $35 million and were at the new building for a ribbon cutting ceremony on July 1.

The Lunder Building provides 150 new inpatient beds and 28 new procedural rooms, and expands, co-locates, and enhances services in cancer, neurology, neurosurgery, radiation oncology and emergency care. The building also serves as a connector between two existing MGH buildings, uniting the MGH campus and allowing patients and staff to cross the campus without having to walk outside.

MGH is a founding member of Partners HealthCare.

Find out more about the new Lunder Building.

Partners shares plans for care redesign

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare is currently planning a major redesign of how care is delivered for certain patients. Many who suffer from diabetes, stroke, colon cancer, and two types of heart problems, will see changes soon in how their care is provided by Partners physicians and hospitals. The goal is to improve the quality of care and of life for these patients, as well as reduce health care costs.

Partners efforts to reduce costs and improve care were recently featured on WBUR's Morning Edition. The story features a glimpse into the care of a diabetes patient whose life was changed by a recent switch from expensive brand name pills as medication to insulin shots. This type of prescribing behavior could save patients $3 to $10 million annually, and keep patients healthier for longer.

Additionally, Partners President and CEO Gary Gottlieb has said that the organization has reopened contract negotiations with health insurers with the intention of reducing costs for consumers.

Listen to the Morning Edition segment in its entirety and read the accompanying piece.

Replacing "Kokobe" With Strength: New Haitian Center of Excellence for Rehabilitation and Education

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Long before the January 2010 earthquake, Haiti’s Ministry of Health had pledged to improve orthopedic and rehabilitation services nationwide.

With stroke and diabetes on the rise, significant numbers of Haitians were acquiring disabilities midway through life, and the lack of public sector rehab services meant that these capable adults were no longer able to contribute to their communities. Outside the capital city Port-au-Prince, rehabilitation services were virtually nonexistent, and the unmet demand from patients was approaching a crisis level.

Further exacerbating this situation was the notion of "kokobe," a cultural stigma against disability that is deeply engrained in the Haitian psyche. To describe someone as "kokobe" is to say that he or she is utterly worthless, and this is the term that is often muttered following a stroke or a surgery.

Tackling the problem would require a two-pronged approach. First, new facilities – universally accessible facilities – would have to be built. Second, and perhaps even more importantly, a new generation of rehabilitation technicians would have to be educated. With no schools or permanent programs to teach rehabilitation skills, and a limited ability to attract foreign labor, there was no question that Haiti would have to staff up – immediately.

With all of these factors at play, in 2009 the Ministry began working closely with staff from the Boston-based NGO Partners In Health (PIH) to identify an appropriate location for the development of orthopedic and rehabilitation services. After considering several options, a site was chosen: l’Hôpital St. Nicolas, a 110-bed facility located in St. Marc, a coastal town 50 miles north of Port-au-Prince.

After the quake

The St. Nicolas project was still at a nascent stage on January 12, 2010, when a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti, destroying most of the country’s healthcare infrastructure, and directly causing an estimated 150,000 disabilities.

Given that only 5-10% of Haiti’s disabled population had access to adequate medical care prior to the earthquake, the country’s post-disaster need for rehabilitation services was simply unfathomable.

“I remember donations pouring in from around the world,” recalls Dr. Patrick Almazor, an official with the Ministry of Health in St. Marc and a staff physician at Partners In Health. “Haiti’s medical community was awestruck by the generosity and compassion of our colleagues in other countries, yet at the same time we recognized that the earthquake’s ‘disability legacy’ would remain with us long after the disaster relief organizations had gone home. We knew we needed a Haitian solution to the problem of disability, but given its sheer scale, we recognized that an international partner would be critical to help guide the way.”

Within a few weeks, Dr. Almazor and his colleagues determined that the “partner” they were seeking was Partners HealthCare. In response to their request, Partners created a coalition consisting of architects from the renowned Shepley Bulfinch firm as well as clinical experts from both the Spaulding Rehabilitation Network and the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute for Health Professions (MGH IHP).

“When the request came from Haiti, a voice inside me immediately said, ‘Yes!,’” explains Lori Matthews, Director of Global Programs at Partners International. “As an architect, I wanted to contribute to the relief effort in a meaningful way. Having seen video footage of collapsing buildings taking human lives, I knew that with proper construction, many deaths could have been prevented.”

Scheduled to open in March of 2012, the new Center of Excellence at l’Hôpital St. Nicolas (architectural rendering above) will become Haiti’s first universally accessible rehabilitation facility within the public health system, establishing new national standards for rehabilitative care and serving as a model for disability-centered design in the developing world.

In addition to providing direct patient care, the Center will also serve as home to an innovative new initiative that will educate paraprofessional rehab technicians. The curriculum for this unique nine-month program was developed by Partners specialists from Spaulding and the MGH IHP, building upon materials previously developed by Health Volunteers Overseas.

“From our dedicated architectural team at Shepley Bulfinch to colleagues from multiple disciplines and departments across the Partners HealthCare network, everyone immediately embraced the St. Nicolas project at all levels,” said Matthews, looking back over 12 months of work on the project. “We were united by the project’s very powerful social message, as well as a real passion to help the Haitian people literally take recovery into their own hands.”

Boston Business Journal names BWH staff as Champions in Healthcare

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The Boston Business Journal recently announced its 2011 Champions in Healthcare. Four Champions are staff members of Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH). The award, which honors leaders in the Massachusetts health care industry, will be given out at the Champions in Healthcare Breakfast in late August.

The recipients from BWH include:

Martha Jurchak, PhD, RN, “nurse”
Jeffrey Karp, PhD, “innovator”
Jo Shapiro, MD, “administrator”
John Wright, MD, “physician”

Awards will be handed out to 14 people in total, under seven categories.

Potential federal funding cuts could affect many health care services in Mass

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

As potential cuts in federal health care funding loom, health care lobbyists, executives, workers, and activists expressed their discontent at the statehouse yesterday. The state stands to lose $1 to $3 billion in health care funding out of its $30 billion annual budget.

Partners HealthCare supported the event, as did other major players in the state health care system, such as Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Spaulding’s Institute of Lifestyle Medicine honored with a President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition Community Leadership Award

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Media Contact:
Tim Sullivan, Communications and Media Relations
Spaulding Rehabilitation l Network
(617) 573-2918, (617) 573-2909 FAX
tsullivan11@partners.org

Wellesley, MA—The President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition (PCFSN) has selected the Institute of Lifestyle Medicine (ILM), based at the Spaulding Rehabilitation Network and Harvard Medical School’s Dept. of PM&R, to receive a 2011 PCFSN Community Leadership Award. The award is given annually to a select group of organizations and individuals nationwide who improve the lives of people in their communities by providing or enhancing opportunities to engage in sports, physical activities, fitness or nutrition-related programs.

This year, the PCFSN presented the Community Leadership Award to 33 individuals and 5 organizations across the country for their advocacy in their communities. The ILM was the only award recipient in New England selected.

“We are thrilled to receive the President's Council's recognition of the ILM's accomplishments in promoting healthy lifestyles through clinician intervention,” said Eddie Phillips, ILM’s Director and Founder, pictured above.

The PCFSN is a committee of up to 25 volunteer citizens appointed by President Obama to serve in an advisory capacity through the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The PFCSN is comprised of a diverse range of health and fitness advocates such as current and former NFL greats Drew Brees and Tedy Bruschi, NBA stars Chris Paul and Grant Hill and public health experts such as Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey the President and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

“It is our pleasure to present this award to the ILM,” says Shellie Pfohl, Executive Director of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition. “Physical activity and good nutrition are important components of living a healthy lifestyle, and we are pleased to recognize organizations such as the Institute of Lifestyle Medicine who are committed to making a difference and positively influencing the health of their communities.”

A non-profit educational, research and advocacy organization, the ILM is focused on reducing lifestyle-related death and disease through clinician directed interventions with their patients. The PCFSN Community Leadership Award recognizes many of the ILM’s innovative methods to assist health professionals expand their knowledge about exercise and nutrition. An example is the “White Coats, White Sneakers” walk, which welcomed US Surgeon General Regina Benjamin and hundreds of health professionals to Boston to advocate prescribing exercise to their patients. Additionally, through Harvard Medical School, the ILM offers a dozen online and live CME courses. These courses, taken by more than 3,000 clinicians in 100 countries, have increased knowledge about exercise and nutrition and engendered positive lifestyle change in healthcare professionals and their patients.

About the Institute of Lifestyle Medicine

We help clinicians get patients healthier. The Institute of Lifestyle Medicine (ILM) was founded in 2007 by Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and Harvard Medical School to reduce lifestyle-related death and disease in society through clinician directed interventions with patients. More at www.instituteoflifestylemedicine.org.

About the Spaulding Rehabilitation Network

A member of Partners HealthCare, The Spaulding Rehabilitation Network includes Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital its main campus, a 196-bed facility, located in Boston, as well as Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Cape Cod, two long term care facilities Spaulding Hospital Cambridge and Spaulding Hospital North Shore and two skilled nursing facilities, as well as twenty three outpatient sites throughout the Greater Boston area. Spaulding is a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School as well as the official rehabilitation hospital of the New England Patriots. Spaulding is the only rehabilitation hospital in New England continually ranked since 1995 by U.S. News and World Report in its Best Hospitals survey with a #4 ranking in 2010. For more information, please visit www.spauldingrehab.org.

About the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition (PCFSN)

PCFSN promotes healthy lifestyles through fitness, sports and nutrition programs and initiatives that educate, engage and empower all Americans. PCFSN is a committee of volunteer citizens appointed by the President who serve in an advisory capacity through the Secretary of Health and Human Services. For more information about PCFSN, visit www.fitness.gov. For more information about the President’s Challenge Physical Activity and Fitness Awards Program or the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award, visit www.presidentschallenge.org.

BWH Research Lab Receives NIH Program of Excellence Award in Glycosciences

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Media Contact:
BWH Communication & Public Affairs
617-534-1600, BWHMediaRelations@partners.org

Boston, MA – The laboratory of Robert Sackstein, MD, PhD, of the Dermatology Department at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), has been granted a prestigious Program of Excellence Award from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to support investigations in glycobiology: the discipline which studies how sugars direct biologic processes. This particular Program of Excellence Award, the “Program of Excellence in Glycosciences” (PEG), is one of only five bestowed nation-wide, and provides more than $17 million of funding over a seven year period to support research in the lab of Dr. Sackstein and his collaborators.

“This award offers an unprecedented opportunity for the advancement of the discipline of glycobiology, and, commensurately, an immense opportunity for BWH, Harvard Medical School, and the greater Boston biomedical science community,” said Dr. Sackstein, also an associate professor of dermatology and of medicine at Harvard Medical School. “Understanding glycobiology is at the core of explaining how cells in the body interact with each other, how they move in the body, how they lodge within tissue microenvironments, and how they grow and differentiate.”

There is currently abundant evidence that sugar modifications of proteins and fats (lipids) regulate many of the biologic effects of these molecules. However, owing to a general lack of investigative expertise in sugar chemistry, especially among biomedical researchers, there has been relatively little work in elucidating how sugar modifications direct biologic processes. “The work that this Award supports is best represented by the term ‘translational glycobiology,’ as distinguished from ‘glycosciences’ and glycobiology,’ because the ultimate goal is to obtain clinically translatable knowledge to improve the human condition,” said Dr. Sackstein.

Dr. Sackstein’s lab has pioneered the creation of novel tools and reagents to program discrete sugar modifications on the surface of live cells to achieve predetermined biologic effects. In a comprehensive multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approach with collaborators Dr. Karen Hoffmeister, also of BWH, Dr. Joseph Lau, of Roswell Park Cancer Institute, and Dr. Vernon Rheinhold, of the University of New Hampshire, Dr. Sackstein’s PEG project will specifically define how cell surface sugar modifications regulate blood cell production under both normal and pathologic conditions. The overarching goal of the program is to characterize the structure and function of certain sugars displayed on blood-forming cells, and thereby provide insights on how display of such sugars can be enforced to achieve therapeutic effects.

The PEG award was conceived and established by the NHLBI when current BWH President Elizabeth G. Nabel, MD, directed the institute. “Research in glycobiology has potential to advance patient care by improving blood cell development and treatments for blood diseases,” said Dr. Nabel. “It is gratifying to see this translational work carried out at BWH.”

Beyond funding critical research objectives, the Award also provides support for training investigators in glycobiology as well as support for key core resources for characterization and analysis of sugar modifications. With the express intent to provide the requisite investigative skills and resources to define how modulation of sugar modifications can advance needed breakthroughs in diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease, the Award will thus spearhead the development of glycobiology at BWH and, more generally, at other research institutions of the northeast US.

Brigham and Women's Hospital is a founding member of Partners HealthCare

Caring for mental illness patients

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

In a recent column, Boston Globe writer Steven Syre examined the cost of paying for mental health services. In recent years, as many hospitals and health systems in the state cut funding for these services and reduced their numbers of psychiatric beds, Partners HealthCare has increased the number of psychiatric beds at its hospitals by 10% over the last ten years. In the last year alone, Partners lost $59 million providing psychiatric services.

Read Syre's full column.

Partners HealthCare Named one of Computerworld’s 100 Best IT Employers for 2011

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

For the sixth consecutive time, Partners HealthCare has been named one of Computerworld’s “100 Best Places to Work in IT.” The distinction was earned in part because Partners, “makes it a habit to listen to its employees” and a focus “entirely on what the employee wants for his career.”

The winners were chosen on the basis of both a survey of the organization’s benefits and other programs, and a random, confidential poll of employees conducted by IDG Research. Topics covered included satisfaction with training and development programs, compensation, benefits and work/life balance. In addition, employees were asked to rate employee morale in their IT departments, the importance of various benefits, and their agreement with a variety of statements on subjects ranging from career growth to management's fair and equal treatment of employees.

“Partners has been on the cutting edge of health care IT, and one of the first provider networks in the country to require that 100 percent of doctors to have electronic medical records,” said James Noga, Chief Information Officer, Partners HealthCare. “The Computerworld survey shows that in addition to doing important work, our IT department is a great place for a technology career.”

For more than 40 years, Computerworld has been the leading source of technology news and information for IT influencers worldwide. Computerworld's award-winning Web site (Computerworld.com), twice-monthly publication, focused conference series and custom research form the hub of the world's largest global IT media network.

Jack Connors announces he will step down as chairman of Partners HealthCare

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Jack Connors recently announced that he will be stepping down as chairman of Partners HealthCare in July 2012. Connors has served as chair since 1996, two years after the formation of Partners HealthCare. Edward P. Lawrence will take over the role of chair next July.

Partners HealthCare supports Project Bread and Summer Food Service Program

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

A Partners HealthCare grant will help Project Bread and the Summer Food Service Program provide healthy, locally-grown food to 4,000 low-income children this summer. The kids and teens who normally count on one or more of their meals coming from school can find meals available at 56 neighborhood sites in Boston and surrounding communities.

“Partners HealthCare is committed to helping to improve the health of the communities we serve,” Matt Fishman, vice president for Community Health, told the Baystate Banner “We are pleased to be able to partner with Project Bread to help school-age children have access to nutritious food they need to be healthy over the summer months and then be able to thrive when they return to the classroom in the fall.”

Cambodian youth group of Lynn honors members

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Members of a Cambodian youth group based in Lynn were recently honored for their achievements. The group, called Khmer American Youth in Action (KAYA), aims to encourage community activism and leadership among its teenage members. Although the group is primarly aimed at Cambodian youth from Lynn, the group is open to anyone interested in joining.

The program is a collaboration among many area organizations, including Partners HealthCare, North Shore Medical Center, and the Lynn Community Health Center. Other organizations involved include the Greater Lynn YMCA, Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma, Catholic Charities North and Gordon College.

Joseph Kvedar, of Partners’ Center for Connected Health, contributes to Healthcare IT News

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Patients are more often being given the chance to keep an eye on their own health and chronic conditions from home with the help of monitoring technology. Joe Kvedar, MD, director of Partners HealthCare’s Center for Connected Health shared his thoughts on this topic in a recent issue of Healthcare IT News.

A new group of patients interested in personal informatics, also dubbed “the Quantified Self,” are early adopters of this type of technology and have embraced the chance to monitor their own personal health data.

However, most members of the general public are not willing to use technology that may require an extra effort. The wide range of involvement from the early adopters to those patients who would truly benefit from this type of technology but are not interested in using it may exist for a few reasons, said Kvedar.

Brigham and Women’s Hospital surgeons perform nation’s third full face transplant

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) surgeons recently performed the third full face transplant in the nation on Charla Nash, a patient who was mauled by a chimpanzee in 2009. BWH announced the transplant on June 10.

Earlier this year, BWH surgeons performed two full face transplants within the span of one month, the first and second types of this procedure ever done in the U.S. Lead plastic surgeon Bohdan Pomahac, MD, performed the March face transplant on patient Dallas Weins, a 25-year-old man who had suffered severe facial burns. Pomahac also performed the second transplant in April, when a team of more than 30 caregivers worked for 14 hours to transplant the face of an anonymous donor on to Mitch Hunter, a 30-year-old man who had suffered severe electrical shock following a car accident.

Brigham and Women’s Hospital surgeons were also the second in the nation to perform a partial face transplant in April 2009.

This new procedure has the potential to drastically improve the physical and mental health of an eligible patient.

Read more about each of these these transplants from The Boston Globe: March 22, April 27, and June 10.

Pfizer to invest $100 million in research center

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Pfizer has announced an investment of $100 million in a new drug development center. The Centers for Therapeutic Innovation will be a collaboration among several Longwood Medical Area health care providers, including Partners HealthCare.

Other hospitals/ providers involved will be Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Boston University; Children’s Hospital Boston; Harvard University; Tufts Medical School; Tufts University; and the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Connect with Partners

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

In January, 2011, Partners HealthCare launched the Connect with Partners website to address an existing need within the Partners HealthCare system for a platform from which to express our point of view on current issues in the Massachusetts health care community. The site offers the perspective of Partners physicians, researchers, executives, and other experts on important topics in health care. As the largest health care provider and private employer in the state, it is important for us to communicate to our patients and opinion leaders our value to the health care community.

Connect with Partners uses a traditional blog format – updated several times weekly – to provide a timely viewpoint and foster discussion around the developing and ongoing health care debates that continue to impact both our hospitals and communities.

Go to Connect with Partners.

Haiti rehabilitation hospital, education center unveiled

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Media contact:
Meredith Eves, Partners In Health (617.998.8945)
Tim Sullivan, Spaulding Rehabilitation Network (617.573.2918)
Terri Evans, Shepley Bulfinch (857.383.4253)

At today’s unveiling of plans for a new rehabilitation and training center in St. Marc, Haiti, Paul Farmer, Partners In Health co-founder and chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, called the project the “fruit of the partnership model” from which Partners In Health takes its name.

He was speaking before a crowd of more than 80 leaders and guests of Partners In Health, Partners HealthCare, Spaulding Rehabilitation Network, and Shepley Bulfinch architects at Shepley Bulfinch’s Seaport District office earlier today. The following people were part of the presentation, appearing in the photo above: Lori Matthews, Partners International, Jay Verspyck, Shepley and Bulfinch, Dr. Koji Nakashima, Partners in Health, Dr. Gilbert Mudge, Partners HealthCare, Dr. Paul Farmer, Partners in Health, and David Storto, Ulrike Berzau, Oz Mondejar, and Dr. Andree LeRoy, all of the Spaulding Rehabilitation Network.

Plans for the new facility, which were presented today, show a two-story building wrapped by a ramp that provides second-floor access and is cooled using natural ventilation. The 6,700 square foot building is designed to be earthquake and hurricane resistant.

The impact of the new facility will reach far beyond the hospital grounds and the city of St. Marc: as Haiti’s first universally accessible rehabilitation facility in the Ministry of Health system, it will establish new national standards for rehabilitative care.

Spaulding is developing a nine-month program to train paraprofessional healthcare staff at the center with a curriculum that builds on materials developed by Health Volunteers Overseas.

“We intend to create a new cadre of healthcare professionals,” said Dr. Farmer.

Other speakers included David Storto, president of Spaulding Rehabilitation Network; Dr. Gilbert Mudge, vice president for international programs for Partners HealthCare; Dr. Koji Nakashima, who is co-directing the project on the ground in Haiti for Partners In Health; and Shepley Bulfinch design architect Jay Verspyck. Verspyck provided a design overview of the new facility, with its two-story gymnasium and simulated home environment.

In his remarks, Dr. Mudge applauded the “remarkable, multi-disciplinary team, all who have donated their time and efforts to this unique project.”

Speaking to the transformative impact of rehabilitation on the lives of Haitians with disabilities in enabling them to engage more wholly in society, Dr. Nakashima said, “It’s not enough to save lives, it’s important to save livelihoods.”

Joining the medical and design professionals for the occasion were leading members of Boston’s Haitian and Haitian-American community, including several patients from Haiti treated at Spaulding who were recognized by Storto and the audience. In the animated discussion that followed the formal presentation, one audience member cited the effort as an example of the “collaboration gene” at work. Another noted the parallel need in Haiti for educational facilities that accommodate students with disabilities.

The hospital in St. Marc is due to break ground later this summer, with a projected completion date in March 2012. The center’s education and training program is scheduled to begin in September 2011, housed in temporary quarters until the facility opens.

Advancing Health Care: Connected Health

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The term “connected health” represents a new model of care delivery that utilizes the latest technology to keep patients healthy from their homes. By leveraging information technology, Partners’ care providers can focus on teaching patients to manage their own health.

Advancing Health Care: Training the Next Generation of Physicians

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Training the next generation of physicians is one of Partners’ main missions. Partners hospitals offer graduate medical opportunities in the form of residencies and fellowships. Anchored at our two Academic Medical Centers in Boston, Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, our training opportunities also give medical students the chance to learn at Partners’ community hospitals.

Advancing Health Care: Patient Safety and Quality

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare caregivers work hard to ensure that patients across the system of hospitals and clinics receive their care as safely as possible, and that it is of the highest quality. That means we try to prevent medical errors from occurring by redesigning our internal processes.

The goal is to make sure our systems function in a way that makes it easy for care providers to deliver the highest quality care and not make mistakes.

Advancing Health Care: Research and Discovery

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

A focus on research has been a central part of Partners’ mission since its founding. The people of Partners HealthCare understand that without a strong commitment to research, there can be no discovery, which is vital to the advancement of medicine and improvement of patient care.

Advancing Health Care: Care Redesign

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare has been developing strategies to redesign patient care. Using teams of caregivers, the organization as a whole is seeking to give the marketplace what it demands: care that is valuable to the patient at a cost that is appropriate. Work across the system is being done to improve end-of-life care and to reduce readmissions. Discovering what is valuable to the patient is at the heart of this discovery process.

Advancing Health Care: Care Management

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

High-risk patients, the sickest patients who often have chronic, complex conditions, require costly, well-coordinated care.

Three Partners HealthCare hospitals are currently involved in a care management demonstration project, funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). This project seeks to reduce complications and improve the coordination of care for these patients, and reduce overall costs to the patient and the health system as a whole. The typical patient enrolled in the program is 76 years old, on average, has had more than three acute-care hospitalizations per year, and was taking more than 12 active medications.

Doctors Eric Weil, of Massachusetts General Hospital, Rebecca Lee, of North Shore Medical Center, and Rebecca Cunningham, of Brigham and Women's Hospital, describe the care management demonstration project currently taking place at three Partners hospitals. The project targets high risk patients and, through a team orchestrated by a primary care physician, tries to manage their care needs appropriately.

Partners ranked as one of nation's top health systems

Tue, 31 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare was today named one of the nation’s 10 Top Health Systems by Thomson Reuters, a leading provider of information and solutions to improve the cost and quality of health care. When compared with peers around the nation, Partners HealthCare and the other Thomson Reuters 10 Top Health Systems saved more lives, caused fewer medical complications, made fewer medical errors, followed recommended standards of care more closely, released patients half a day sooner on average, and scored better on patient satisfaction surveys.

“Every day our doctors, nurses and care teams work to provide our patients and their families with the best and most compassionate care available,” said Gary L. Gottlieb, MD, President and CEO of Partners HealthCare. “To be recognized as one of the nation’s top health systems is a fitting tribute to our teams of caregivers and our entire Partners community.”

“This year, the 10 Top Health Systems set a new standard for high quality of care across all of the communities they serve,” said Jean Chenoweth, senior vice president for performance improvement and 100 Top Hospitals programs at Thomson Reuters. “To produce consistent, strong performance across multiple hospitals, health system leaders must be providing crystal clear goals and communication as well as the means for staff to execute effectively. These systems are positioned to continue performing well as we move further into the era of healthcare reform.”

These 10 health systems rose to the top when researchers from the Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals® program analyzed the performance of 285 health systems based on eight metrics:

In-hospital mortality.
Medical complications.
Patient safety.

Average length of stay.
30-day mortality rate (post-discharge).
30-day readmission rate (post discharge).
Adherence to clinical standards of care (evidence-based core measures published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services).
Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems patient survey score (part of a national initiative sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to measure the quality of care in hospitals).

The study evaluated U.S. health systems with two or more short-term, acute care, non-federal hospitals that treat a broad spectrum of patients. Researchers used public data from the Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR) dataset and the CMS Hospital Compare datasets. The Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals program has analyzed and reported on the performance of hospitals since 1993. For more information, visit www.100tophospitals.com.

Newton-Wellesley Hospital CIO speaks with healthsystemCIO.com about Meaningful Use, Accountable Care Organizations, and other topics

Tue, 31 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Scott MacLean, Chief Information Officer of Newton-Wellesley Hospital (a member of Partners HealthCare) shared his thoughts with healthsystemCIO.com during a recent interview. He talked about his hospitals’ allergy enterprise repository, compliance with Meaningful Use rules, Accountable Care Organizations, and ICD-10 coding requirements.

The two-part interview can be read or listened to via podcast.

Partners Named as top Health System

Tue, 31 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare was recently named as one of Thomson Reuters' Top Health Systems. When compared with peers around the nation, Partners HealthCare and the other Thomson Reuters 10 Top Health Systems saved more lives, caused fewer medical complications, made fewer medical errors, followed recommended standards of care more closely, released patients half a day sooner on average, and scored better on patient satisfaction surveys.

Modern Healthcare covered this story and provided a breakdown on how the top health systems scored on the metrics on which they were judged, as compared to the rest of the country. Modern Healthcare also offered an analysis of the ten systems in a downloadable PDF.

Care Management Program improves care for sickest patients, reduces costs

Sun, 29 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

High risk patients, those who are chronically ill and often suffer from complex conditions, need more and different care than the average patient. Because of this, high-risk patients, who make up 15% of the patient population, account for 75% of health care spending.

Three Partners HealthCare hospitals are currently involved in a Medicare demonstration project that has shown to improve the quality of care for high-risk patients, and reduce costs associated with their care

The demonstration project’s model of care involves a team of caregivers, managed by the Primary Care Physician. The team can include nurse case managers, social workers, pharmacists, nutritionists, and others, all of whom work together to help manage the patient’s health. Through the team model, patients receive better-coordinated care, which ultimately helps to improve the health of enrolled patients.

The team ensures that when a patient leaves the doctor’s office, he or she receives follow up care. This can mean ensuring that patients are taking the correct medications, making it to their doctors’ appointments, and even that they have access to nutritious food.

Massachusetts General Hospital, the first Partners hospital to take part in the project, saw a seven percent reduction in costs over three years, while admissions were reduced and deaths decreased measurably Hospital readmissions dropped by 20%, and visits to the emergency room were reduced by 13% for patients enrolled in the program.

In 2010, the project expanded to Brigham and Women’s Hospital and North Shore Medical Center. To date, the Care Management Program has enrolled almost 5,000 patients and is expected to involve more than 8,000 total patients over the next few years.

To read more about this program, visit our Innovation and Leadership section.

Read more about Mass General's success with the care management program in this Boston Business Journal article.

Clinical trials at Partners institutions investigate new cures for diseases

Sun, 29 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare clinicians and researchers are constantly studying new ways to treat disease. Much of this research is done through clinical trials, which are research studies involving humans. Clinical trials are vital to the discovery of new treatments and cures for disease and illness. In addition, by participating in a Partners HealthCare clinical trial, you may have access to expert medical care at some of the nation’s leading health care and research institutions.

Clinical trials must go through a rigorous approval process, during which the plan for the trial and participation restrictions/requirements are set to protect study participants. All of the ethical codes expected during an episode of health care also apply to patients participating in clinical trials.

There are currently hundreds of clinical trials actively recruiting patients. If you are interested in browsing these trials to see if any might be a fit for you, visit the Partners Clinical Trials web site. There you will find tools to assist you in narrowing your search.

Kraft Family National Center for Leadership and Training in Community Health announces Fellowship Program

Thu, 26 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The Kraft Family National Center for Leadership and Training in Community Health is pleased to announce an innovative, multidisciplinary, two-year fellowship in community health to begin in July 2012. The Kraft Fellowship Program in Community Health Leadership—the first of its kind—is designed to develop outstanding leaders who combine excellent clinical skills with expertise in social medicine, health policy, advocacy, and other areas relevant to community health. Eligible applicants are physicians who have completed a residency program in primary care, internal medicine, pediatrics, medicine-pediatrics, family medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, or psychiatry, and who aspire to have a major impact in improving the health of low-income patients and underserved communities.

The first cohort of four Kraft Fellows will be selected from applicants who have completed (by June 2012) a Massachusetts residency program in primary care, internal medicine, pediatrics, medicine-pediatrics, family medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, or psychiatry. In subsequent years, physicians from programs across the nation will be invited to apply.

Elements of the Kraft Fellowship include:

Practice in a community health center or other care delivery setting serving diverse, low and moderate income individuals
Mentored research/project experience (community-based participatory research or community health improvement project)
Study in Harvard graduate degree program with full tuition support
Peer learning and mentorship from both community health center leaders and academic medical center leaders
Salary with benefits and loan repayment

Learn more about the fellowship program and how to apply.

About the Kraft Center:

The Kraft Family National Center for Leadership and Training in Community Health, recently established by a generous gift to Partners HealthCare from the Kraft Family, seeks to improve access to first rate, comprehensive care for diverse, low and moderate income individuals and families.

Initial components of the Kraft Center include the Kraft Fellowship Program; the Kraft Practitioner Program, an initiative to attract and retain physicians and masters prepared nurses to practice in community health centers and similar settings; and a National Leadership Council that will assist in developing the Center’s national leadership strategy.

Read the original press release about the Kraft Family gift and announcement about the Kraft Family National Center for Leadership and Training in Community Health.

Partners President and CEO Gary Gottlieb writes Op-Ed piece with Boston's Mayor Menino about creating summer jobs for teens

Wed, 25 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare President and CEO Gary Gottlieb, along with Boston's Mayor Thomas Menino, called for greater creation of teen summer jobs. In a Boston Globe Op-Ed, the pair asked Boston-area industries and small businesses to consider taking on teens during the summer to help close the more than 2,000 that the city is short. The percentage of teens with a summer jobs has shrunk from 51.4% in 2000 to 27% expected in 2011.

Read the full Op-Ed.

Partners HealthCare's 2010 Annual Report

Mon, 23 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

“Our mission will be our guide as we provide the highest quality care that is affordable to our patients and to society.”
-- Gary L. Gottlieb, MD, MBA, President and CEO, Partners HealthCare

Read the Partners HealthCare Annual Report 2010.

Run to Home Base raises $2.6 million for veterans

Mon, 23 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Runners taking part in the "Run to Home Base" got their chance to run around Fenway Park and raise money to benefit veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury this past weekend. The run was organized by the Home Base program, a joint effort between the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital. Runners competing in the 5.6 mile event were required to raise at least $1,000.

The Home Base Program was started out of recognition that many soldiers returning from serving their country in Iraq and Afghanistan and suffer greatly in returning to civilian life. They need support, as do their families.

Read more from The Boston Globe.

View a news clip from WHDH.

Two doctors at Partners hospitals are named as top innovators by The Boston Globe

Sun, 22 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare's Atul Gawande, MD and Daniel Haber, MD, top The Boston Globe's list of 100 Top Innovators in Medicine. Gawande, a surgeon at Brigham and Women's Hospital, was named as the Top Innovator in Medicine for influencing the national debate on health care. He is a contributor to The New Yorker and has written several books on health care. He's also credited with spreading the idea of using a checklist in the operating room to improve patient safety.

Haber was cited for his work in cancer detection, most recently developing a blood test that can search for tumors. He is well known for his reseach in the field of cancer and genetics. Haber is a physician researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Competency-Based Medicine Education: Why and Why Now?

Fri, 20 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Dr. Eric Holmboe, CMO and Senior Vice President of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) and Dr. Bill Iobst, Vice President of Academic Affairs of the ABIM spoke at a Partners GME Grand Rounds presentation in May 2011.

Minimally invasive Surgery for Stress-Induced Urinary Incontinence

Mon, 16 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

In this video from Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), surgeon Neeraj Kohli performs minimally invasive surgery for stress-induced urinary incontinence on a patient suffering from stress incontinence and Sujatha Rajan treats a patient with an overactive bladder.

Pediatric Surgery: Correcting several congenital abnormalities of a six-month-old baby

Mon, 16 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

In this video from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), surgeons Rafael Pieretti and Brian Grottkau perform a bladder extrophy closure and a bilateral pelvic osteotomy on an infant suffering from bladder extrophy, rectal prolapse and diastasis of the symphysis pubis.

Pediatric Transplant Surgery with a Living Related Donor

Mon, 16 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

In this video from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), A. Benedict Cosimi, Tatsuo Kawai and Ghaleb Daouk treat a patient who needs pediatric kidney transplant surgery after suffering from pediatric kidney problems.

Student Success Jobs Program

Fri, 13 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

At Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), the Student Success Jobs Program (SSJP) is an intensive year-round employment and mentoring program for students of Boston Public High Schools. With the goal of addressing the underrepresentation of young people of color in health and science careers, SSJP targets 10th through 12th grade students providing the opportunity to build skills and a career pathway in the health and science field. BWH employees provided intensive mentoring to students in a dynamic and professional hospital environment. Tutoring support is also provided to ensure the academic success of students in their science and mathematics subjects. Individualized assistance is given to students to identify their options for higher education and prepare college and financial aid applications.

SSJP is distinctive in that it works on three levels to improve community health:

Contributes to educational achievement for young people.
Enables employment opportunity in communities of greatest need.
Increases the diversity of the health care workforce as SSJP students proceed forward in their careers.

Revere Cares Substance Abuse Program

Fri, 13 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Launched by Massachusetts General Hospital and the community of Revere, Revere CARES is a coalition of concerned community residents, local officials, police, educators, parents, and teens working to reduce teen drinking and substance abuse in Revere.

Since it was formed in 1997, the coalition has brought noticeable change to the community by:

Increasing substance abuse prevention education, after-school activities, and summer jobs
Significantly enhancing treatment for substance abuse; changing bar closing times from 2am to 1am
Working to deny several liquor licenses

For their success, Revere CARES won the 2009 Coalition of the Year award from the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America. This national award recognizes coalitions that demonstrate measurable reductions in multiple substance abuse rates.

Bank of America Loan Repayment Program

Fri, 13 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

In 2007, a $5M grant from Bank of America launched a loan repayment program for primary care physicians and nurse practitioners who commit to working at a community health center. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts provided $2.55M to support the program. Neighborhood Health Plan and the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Foundation of Massachusetts have also provided key support. Partners Healthcare committed more than $1.25M to this effort.

Through the end of 2010, 113 providers had participated in the program, providing care to an estimated 200,000 people.

In early 2011, the Kraft Family announced a $20M gift to support Partners in its goal of ensuring that underserved patients have access to high quality care in their communities. The Kraft Family National Center for Leadership and Training in Community Health will improve access to the neediest people in our communities – not only in Massachusetts but throughout New England and across the United States.

Partners HealthCare: Medicine with a Global Perspective

Fri, 13 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

This video highlights the care patients at Partners HealthCare hospitals recieve, Partners' role in the advancement of global health, and why Boston is an excellent place to seek medical care.

Combining Proton Therapy with the Whipple Procedure: A New Treatment Approach for Pancreatic Cancer

Fri, 13 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

As part of a clinical trial combining proton therapy with the whipple procedure, surgeon Carlos Fernandez del Castillo operates on a patient with pancreatic cancer at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).

Myomectomy and Radical Hysterectomy with Robotic Assistance

Fri, 13 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Using the latest minimally invasive and laparoscopic techniques with the da vinci robot, surgeons Colleen Feltmate, Antonio Gargiulo and Serene Srouji perform a hysterectomy on a patient with uterine cancer and a myomectomy on a patient with fibroids at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH). After her myomectomy, one patient achieves a pregnancy.

Laparoscopic Cecostomy to Address Pediatric Intestinal Motility Disorder

Fri, 13 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Surgeons Allan Goldstein and Leonel Rodriguez, who are experts in intestinal rehabilitation, perform a colonoscopy and a laparoscopic cecostomy on a pediatric patient with intestinal motility disorder at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).

Combining 3-D Conformal Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy and Chemotherapy with Esophagectomy:

Fri, 13 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

At the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) a new approach to treating esophageal cancer involves a combination of radiation therapy, chemotherapy and esophagectomy. In this video, surgeon Cameron Wright performs an Ivor Lewis esophagectomy followed by an anastomosis on a patient who developed gastroesophageal cancer after suffering from gastroesophageal reflux.

Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy with Robotic Assistance

Fri, 13 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Using a da vinci robot, surgeon Jim C. Hu performs a laparoscopic radical prostatectomy with a bilateral nerve sparing technique on a patient with prostate cancer at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH).

Extrapleural Pneumonectomy with Intraoperative Lavage

Fri, 13 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

In this video from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), surgeon David Sugarbaker performs an extrapleural pneumonectomy, provides hyperthermic intraoperative chemotherapy, and then performs pericardial reconstruction with gore-tex on a patient with mesothelioma.

The Northeast Proton Therapy Center: Applying Proton Radiation with Millimeter Precision

Fri, 13 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

In this video from the proton beam center at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Jay Loeffler, Thomas Delaney, Torunn Yock and Georgene Fontana use proton therapy to treat an optic glioma, a sacral tumor, and a brain tumor in the optic chiasm.

Oncology Clinical Trial: An International Patient's Experience

Fri, 13 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

In a clinical trial at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center, Thomas J. Lynch uses an experimental drug as well as tyrosine kinase inhibitors, such as Iressa and Tarceva, to treat patients suffering from non-small-cell lung cancer who have mutations within the epidermal growth factor receptor gene (EFGR).

Advancing Cardiac Arrhythmia Care with Implantable Devices and Laser Lead Extractions

Fri, 13 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

In this video from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), Laurence Epstein performs a laser lead extraction and inserts an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) for a patient with ventricular tachycardia. Dr. Epstein uses minimal ventricular pacing, a technique developed by his colleague Michael O. Sweeney.

Pediatric Cardiology: Atrial Septal Defect Closure

Fri, 13 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

In this video from the pediatric cardiology program at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), surgeons Michael De Moor and Judith Becker perform atrial septal defect surgery on a child with an atrial septal defect (ASD).

Innovations in Phonosurgery (Voice Surgery): Treating Vocal Cord Paralysis

Fri, 13 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

At the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), surgeon Steven Zeitels, who has previously operated on Julie Andrews and Steven Tyler, performs voice surgery (phonosurgery) on a patient suffering from vocal cord paralysis. The voice rehabilitation program at MGH has pioneered adduction arytenopexy, medialization laryngoplasty and crico-thyroid subluxation techniques to treat patients suffering from functional voice disorders and laryngeal trauma

The STRATUS Center: New Simulation Technology Toward Global Medical Education

Fri, 13 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

In this video from the STRATUS Center at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), Ron Walls and Charles Pozner utilize microsimulation, partial task training, and human patient simulation equipment produced by Laerdal to train a team of Japanese clinicians, including Hideharu Tanaka.

The MGH Brain Tumor Center: Microsurgical Removal of an Acoustic Neuroma

Fri, 13 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

In this video from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Chief of Neurosurgery Robert Martuza and Ekkehard Kasper perform microsurgery on a patient with an acoustic neuroma.

Focused Ultrasound Treatment of Uterine Fibroids

Fri, 13 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

In this video from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), Elizabeth A. Stewart and Clare Tempany utilize focused ultrasound, a new non-invasive technique, to treat uterine fibroids in a special study among African American women.

New Advances in Laparoscopic Weight Loss Surgery

Fri, 13 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

In this video from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), Ashley Vernon and David Brooks perform lap-band surgery and laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery for patients who require weight loss surgery to overcome obesity.

Human Lung Stem Cell Discovered at BWH

Wed, 11 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Media Contact:
BWH Communication & Public Affairs
617-534-1600, BWHMediaRelations@partners.org

For the first time, researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) have identified a human lung stem cell that is self-renewing and capable of forming and integrating multiple biological structures of the lung including bronchioles, alveoli and pulmonary vessels. This research is published in the May 12, 2011 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

"This research describes, for the first time, a true human lung stem cell. The discovery of this stem cell has the potential to offer those who suffer from chronic lung diseases a totally novel treatment option by regenerating or repairing damaged areas of the lung," said Piero Anversa, MD, director of the Center for Regenerative Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and corresponding author.

Using lung tissue from surgical samples, researchers identified and isolated the human lung stem cell and tested the functionality of the stem cell both in vitro and in vivo. Once the stem cell was isolated, researchers demonstrated in vitro that the cell was capable of dividing both into new stem cells and also into cells that would grow into various types of lung tissue. Next, researchers injected the stem cell into mice with damaged lungs. The injected stem cells differentiated into new bronchioles, alveoli and pulmonary vessel cells which not only formed new lung tissue, but also integrated structurally to the existing lung tissue in the mice.

The researchers define this cell as truly "stem" because it fulfills the three categories necessary to fall under stem cell categorization: first, the cell renews itself; second, it forms into many different types of lung cells; and third, it is transmissible, meaning that after a mouse was injected with the stem cells and responded by generating new tissue, researchers were then able to isolate the stem cell in the treated mouse, and use that cell in a new mouse with the same results.

"These are the critical first steps in developing clinical treatments for those with lung disease for which no therapies exist. Further research is needed, but we are excited about the impact this discovery could have on our ability to regenerate or recreate new lung tissues to replace damaged areas of the lungs," said Joseph Loscalzo, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Medicine at BWH and co-author.

This research was funded through grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Brigham and Women's Hospital is a founding member of Partners HealthCare.

Face transplant recipients consider each other brothers

Wed, 11 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Just weeks after Brigham and Women's Hospital surgeons peformed the nation's first and second full face transplants, the two transplant recipients have said to consider each other brothers. The two men, Dallas Weins and Mitch Hunter, had both been victims of disfiguring accidents and underwent face transplant surgeries in April. The two have been living in close quarters during their time in Boston and have spent hours talking about their experiences.

Keen use of telemedicine can improve patients' all-around health

Wed, 11 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Joseph Kvedar, of Partners HealthCare's Center for Connected Health, recently spoke at a health technology conference and told the audience that improved use of telemedicine can improve the all-around health of patients in the future. He highlighted how the Center's use of telemedicine has enabled the connection between doctors and patients in the ICU as well as between patients who were in the hospitals and need follow-up care.

He called out the need to ensure that providers are thinking of access, efficiency, and quality with every instance of care.

Partners President and CEO named as one of the most influential physician executives in health care

Mon, 09 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare's President and CEO Gary Gottlieb has been named as one of Modern Healthcare's 50 Most Influential Physicians for 2011.

Statement from Gary Gottlieb, Partners President and CEO, on the passing of James J. Mongan

Tue, 03 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Statement of Gary L. Gottlieb, MD
President and CEO, Partners HealthCare
On the passing of James J. Mongan, MD

With a heavy heart, I share the news that Dr. Jim Mongan, our beloved colleague and cherished friend passed away today after a lengthy illness. As we reflect on his life dedicated to public service, let us remember Jim for the many ways he touched our lives and the lives of our neighbors and our communities, across the Commonwealth and around the globe. His humble demeanor could never hide his deep passion to continually improve the care we provide our patients and their families.

Where does one begin to knit together a story about the remarkable life of a loving husband, a devoted father, a brilliant and compassionate leader? For Jim, his family was his center – his soul. We shall keep his wife Jean, his children John and Sarah and his entire family in our thoughts and prayers on this difficult day. And let us express our condolences to his scores of friends and colleagues across the Partners HealthCare system, where he served as president and CEO for seven transformative years.

Jim never viewed his work in the singular; he believed success came from the power of working together. Throughout his venerable career, Jim demonstrated that belief in his enduring commitment to improving access to health care. From his days in the administration of President Jimmy Carter, to his time as president of the Truman Medical Center in Kansas City to his years as president of MGH and then Partners, Jim collaborated with his colleagues to work tirelessly as an advocate for patients with a keen focus on quality and safety. Jim’s High Performance Medicine initiatives, highlighted by the adoption of the electronic medical record, continue to drive improvements across our system.

Another chapter of his legacy will be his leadership in pushing forward landmark health care reform in Massachusetts in 2006. Jim’s vision helped to set the stage for this historic decision, which is proving to be a model for our country. Jim chaired the Commonwealth Fund Commission and the group’s reports became important building blocks to inform the national debate. Jim’s book that he wrote with Dr. Tom Lee, Chaos and Organization in Health Care, has been called “the single most informative and absorbing examination of what is wrong with the U.S. health care system and what to do about it.”

When we remember Jim, the words genuine, generous, dedicated and distinguished only begin to shape the description of a man who made a distinct difference in how we are strengthening our commitment to health care today. The delivery of universal coverage is an issue of social justice; Jim embraced that ideal along with an expectation that we will always challenge ourselves to advance all tenets of our mission.

At this time, funeral arrangements are still incomplete. We will share that information with you when we receive the details. Today, as we remember Jim – let us embrace the lessons we have learned from his leadership and teaching and let the light of his legacy shine on us as we carry forward his vision to make our world a better place – a gift we can give in his honor.

Partners HealthCare Sponsors Community Health Forum About Bullying

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Media Contact: Julia Christopher
jcchristopher@partners.org
617.278.1063

BOSTON, MA – April 28, 2011 – Community and legislative leaders heard directly from young people about their ordeals with bullying at an educational forum at the Massachusetts State House this morning.

Victor, 19 from Boston, was bullied in middle school. “I felt very alone and like nobody understood me,” he recalled. “I started skipping school and my grades dropped. I had a lot of anxiety. It was just horrible.”

The event marked the premiere of the new Words Can Work DVD Bullying: True Stories, produced by medical journalist Jeanne Blake. In the 20-minute film, Victor and three other young people describe their experiences with bullying. Following a screening of the film, a panel of clinical and policy experts answered questions from an audience of more than 500 educators, young people, and healthcare providers.

The forum was presented by Partners HealthCare in collaboration with Words Can Work and co-sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health. The forum was co-hosted by Massachusetts State Senator James B. Eldridge and Massachusetts State Representative John W. Scibak. Massachusetts State Representative Martha Walz was a special guest speaker.

Panelists included Eugene Beresin, MD, Director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Residency Training Mass General Hospital and McLean Hospital; Robin D’Antona, Ed D, Educational Consultant and Certified National Olweus Bullying Prevention Trainer; Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Executive Director Boston Public Health Commission; Anne Gilligan, MPH, Title IV, Safe and Drug-Free Schools Coordinator, MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education; Barbara Leadholm, Commissioner MA Department of Mental Health; Bryan Pridgen, MD, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, McLean Hospital; Lauren Smith, MD, Medical Director MA Department of Public Health; Gabrielle Viator, Assistant Attorney General Civil Rights Division

Through the forum, Partners HealthCare shared information with young people, parents, teachers, school administrators and community health advocates about the signposts of and effective responses to bullying.

“Partners HealthCare shares the state’s commitment to improving the health of young people through prevention,” said Gary L. Gottlieb, MD, President and CEO, Partners HealthCare. “As a healthcare provider, we want to share our clinical experience, support educational tools, and do what we can to prevent one of the most serious challenges facing our children today.”

“Bullying is no longer considered a harmless right of passage or just a part of growing up,” said Barbara Leadholm, Commissioner of the Department of Mental Health. “We must address the issue for what it is - a destructive imbalance of power - and offer support to both the young people who are being bullied and the bullies themselves.”

“The agencies and educators doing the hard work of implementing our state’s new law understand the devastating effects bullying can have on children. We owe it to our kids to keep them safe from bullying in their schools and online. The state’s new anti-bullying law employs a comprehensive set of strategies and guidelines to help end this problem,” said Lauren Smith, Medical Director, of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

The legislative conference committee that helped draft the new anti-bullying legislation passed by the Senate and the House last spring was co-chaired by Massachusetts State Representative Martha M. Walz – the main author of the law—and former Massachusetts State Senator Robert O’Leary. The legislative co-hosts of the forum, Massachusetts State Senator James B. Eldridge and Massachusetts State Representative John W. Scibak, served on the conference committee.

“We have the most comprehensive anti-bullying law in the country,” said Representative Martha M. Walz. “Massachusetts has chosen to take the lead and put the safety of the Commonwealth’s children first.”

Senator James B. Eldridge said, “The members of the Massachusetts Legislature and the conference committee worked to pass a bill that we hope will bring an end to this issue facing our young people and enable them to thrive in a safe and productive culture in their schools.”

Massachusetts now joins 46 other states with anti-bullying laws on the books. “The Massachusetts Legislature passed anti-bullying legislation last spring, and I am committed to seeing that our schools are equipped with the training and support that the staff members needs to fully implement it and keep our young people safe.” said State Representative John W. Scibak.

Bullying: True Stories is part of the Words Can Work DVD and booklet series, which is a resource for young people, parents, educators and caregivers to guide kids in talking about public and mental health challenges young people face growing up. “Bullying: True Stories takes us into lives of young people to see and feel the potential long-term impact bullying has on both the target and the perpetrator,” said Blake.

About Partners HealthCare
Partners HealthCare is an integrated health system founded by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. In addition to its two academic medical centers, the Partners system includes community and specialty hospitals, community health centers, a physician network, home health and long-term care services, and other health-related entities. Partners is one of the leading biomedical research organizations and a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Partners HealthCare is a non-profit organization.

About Words Can Work®
Words Can Work is created by Jeanne Blake, president and founder of Blake Works. Blake Works is certified as a Woman Owned Business. Blake Works produces and distributes DVDs and Words Can Work booklets for young people, parents, and other caregivers, about the public and mental health challenges kids face growing up. Its advisors are researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other leading institutions including Harvard Medical School, where Blake is an affiliated faculty member with the Division on Addictions, and McLean Hospital, Harvard's largest psychiatric facility, where Blake serves as a trustee.

Wellesley resident talks about stroke, sharing story in Partners HealthCare ad

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Steve Chilton, a Wellesley resident, suffered a stroke in 2008. Chilton, then 58 and an avid runner, sought care immediately at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, a member of Partners HealthCare. He received tPA (Tissue Plasminogen Activator) to help reverse the stroke within the critical three hour window after a patient begins to experience a stroke.

In three days, Chilton had returned home from the hospital to his family, and within three weeks he was back at work in three weeks. He also was able to resume running within a month and ran the Bay State Marathon in Lowell in 2009 and 2010. He will run the Boston Marathon in March.

Chilton is now being featured in a Partners ad campaign.

Read more about Chilton’s experience as a Newton-Wellesley Hospital patient, and about the creation of the ad from the Wicked Local Wellesley site.

Partners HealthCare Telestroke Center using mobile technology to connect with patients

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare Telestroke Center, which pioneered the use of video conferencing technology to evaluate stroke patients in community and rural settings, has announced plans to take this technology to the mobile setting.

The idea is that patients will receive some aspects of their stroke care from home, through their computers, or through their mobile phones. Stroke experts at the center can connect with patients using a video chat connection like Skype, but over a secure network so patient confidentiality remains intact. The Telestroke Cener has contracted with Vidyo to provide these services.

Additionally, expanding the telestroke capability to mobile devices not only makes follow-up patient care easier, but connecting with physicians whose schedules and locations are in flux easier as well.

Partners Career and Workforce Development program offers entryway into health careers

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Partners Career and Workforce Development (PCWD) program celebrated its most recent class of graduates last month. The six-week program provides resources and education to community residents interested in pursuing a career in health care. After the course is over graduates are provided with help in searching for a job and one year of support for once they are hired. Since 2003, when PCWD was formed, 312 people have graduated from the program.

Not only is the PCWD program valuable for interested residents of Boston, but it provides a pipeline of employees for Partners hospitals who are from the neighborhoods which the hospitals serve.

Learn more about PCWD.

"Step it Up" Program tracks kids' steps in Dorchester

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Students at Dorchester's Emily Emily A. Fifield and Oliver Wendell Holmes elementary schools are taking part in a pilot program that tracks their steps with a goal of measuring movement. The program, called "Step it Up" is run partly by Partners' Center for Connected Health.The goal is to see if tracking kids' steps will help spur them to move more, in an attempt to fight the obseity epidemic.

Enrolled students wear chips attached to their sneakers that records the number of steps each day they take. Designated compuers at the school log the number of steps they've taken and generate a weekly report to inform students and teachers of their progress.

Partners HealthCare Television Ad

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 00:00:00 GMT

This television ad ran in the Greater Boston area during the winter and spring of 2011. It tells the story of a patient who received care for a stroke at a Partners hospital.

Center for Connected Health's text message program improves health of newborn babies

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 00:00:00 GMT

A recent Health Policy Forum blog post highlights the success of Partners' Center for Connected Health program involving text messaging expectant mothers to improve the health of their newborn babies. The study measured the success of a text message campaign aimed at expectant mothers in Lynn, Massachusetts. The text messages reminded the women about appointments and how to improve their own prenatal health.

The study was based off of a national campaign to improve the health of expectant mothers and their babies, called Text4Baby.

Partners HealthCare Names Noga Chief Information Officer

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare today announced the appointment of James Noga as Chief Information Officer. In this role, Noga will be responsible for the development and oversight of all health information systems at Partners HealthCare. Noga, who had been serving as acting CIO for Partners, earned the position after a lengthy search process which included some of the top health care executives in the nation.

“Jim possesses the vision to build upon a legacy of excellence in information technology – a legacy he helped create,” said Gary Gottlieb, MD President and CEO of Partners HealthCare. “Our excellence in this field is a hallmark of Partners HealthCare, as we serve as a local and national model with a renewed focus on operational effectiveness, safety and efficiency.”

Noga started his career at MGH in 1990 as Director of Clinical Applications, and in 1997 was promoted to CIO for the hospital. Under Jim's leadership, the MGH was successful in advancing information technology systems into all aspects of clinical care and research. In 2009, the MGH community recognized him as a co-recipient of the Nathaniel Bowditch Prize, which is awarded to the employee who has increased the quality of care at the hospital while reducing costs.

“Over the past 20 years, I have been fortunate to be a part of a health care system that embraced technology and the value it creates for patients at a very early stage,” said Noga. “I look forward to working with my colleagues throughout the Partners system and across the country to develop new solutions that utilize technology in a way that improves the quality of care and helps to reduce costs.”

Partners HealthCare is viewed as a national leader when it comes to the use of technology in health care. Founded by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, Partners includes community and specialty hospitals, a physician network, home care, hospice and other health care services. During the past ten years, Partners has invested $2 billion in Information Technology, including the EMR, to improve care for patients. One hundred percent of Partners primary care and specialist physicians are on the electronic medical record (EMR). Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE), a system of on-line rather than handwritten medication orders for patients in the hospital (and pioneered at Brigham and Women’s Hospital), is in use at its founding academic medical centers and in virtually all of Partners community hospitals.

Mr. Noga holds an MS Degree in Biomedical Computing and Information Processing and a BS degree in Medical Technology both from the Ohio State University. He is an active member of the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives and the Health Information and Management Systems Society. He is also an instructor in Northeastern University’s Healthcare Informatics graduate program.

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Four Partners HealthCare hospitals named to U.S. News and World Report list of Boston’s best hospitals

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT

U.S. News and World Report recently released its list of Boston’s top hospitals, ranking four Partners hospitals in its list of 15. Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital were ranked one and two respectively. McLean Hospital and Netwon-Wellesley hospital also made the list, coming in a numbers nine and 12 respectively.

In total, 73 Greater Boston area hospitals were considered for the list.

In addition, MassGeneral Hospital for Children was named as one of the top two children’s hospitals in the area.

Read more.

Brigham and Women's' midwifery program provides proper care to expectant mothers and their families

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The job of a midwife is to help expectant mothers learn how to best care for themselves and their unborn children, but also to learn how to create a healthy lifestyle for themselves and their families. Midwives also provide labor and delivery care, pre-and post-natal expertise, and guidance in family planning.

The midwives that are part of the Brigham and Women's midwifery program see patients at ten Boston-area health centers, one of which is located in Mattapan. The goal of offering care at community health centers is to make it convenient for patients by bringing it to where they are located.

In debate on how to change pill bottle labels, Center for Connected Health's Glow Caps an option

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Despite directions on their pill bottles, many patients consistently do not take their medications as directed. This is often for a variety of reasons--uclear directions, forgetfulness of patients--and many patients do not know that they are taking their medications incorrectly. The U.S. Pharmacopeia, the non-profit organization that helps the FDA set new guidelines regarding medications, is developing new recommendations to improve the likelihood that patients take their medications correctly.

Partners' Center for Connected Health has been developing solutions to this issue for a number of years. Most recently, its Glow Caps product, which is a wireless pill bottle that reminds patients to take their pills by lighting up and eventually emmitting a sound and calling patients on the telephone, has worked to change patients' behaviors. Joseph Kvedar, MD, director of the Center for Connected Health described how this product works. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality highlighted the Center's work with Glow Caps in a recent "Innovations" article.

Newton-Wellesley Hospital opens medical simulation center

Sat, 19 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Newton-Wellesley Hospital has opened a state-of-the-art medical simulation center on its campus. The Shipley Medical Simulation Center will be used to train physicians and nurses through the use of real-life scenarios. The simulation center is designed to mirror actual clinical instances that occur every day at the hospital.

The center takes advantage of SimMan® technology, a type of manikin that mimics patient conditions realistically. Doctors will be able to practice carrying out procedures on the manikins, as well as test their clinical decision making.

Simulation training is becoming more widespread in health care as the industry learns from others that have used the technique, like aviation. Simulation also allows a team of caregivers to develop a sense of collaboration and trust.

The Shipley Medical Simulation Center was made possible by a donation from the Shipley Family.

Learn more.

Massachusetts General Hospital introduces 3D Mammography

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT

A team from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has pioneered the use of breast tomosynthesis, also known as 3D mammography, as a method for detecting breast cancer. Researchers and physicians from MGH’s Breast Imaging Division recently received FDA approval and have made this type of detection a reality after nearly a decade of work.

Doctors using breast tomosynthesis will find they have a clearer picture of the overlapping structure of breast tissue, which can improve the detection of breast cancer. Patients would receive a 3D scan at the same time as their regularly scheduled mammogram. Additionally, 3D mammography helps rule out certain results that could cause unnecessary concern with a regular mammogram.

Learn more.

In New Video, Health Executives Urge Colleagues to Develop Sustainable Operations ‘Going Green’ Reduces Costs, Improves Health of Patients, Staff and Environment

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT

(Washington, DC) Practice Greenhealth and Health Care Without Harm, in support of the Healthier Hospital Initiative, have produced the first in a series of videos and other materials that will help hospital administrators and C-Suite personnel understand the urgency and importance of developing sustainable hospital operations. The video, “Leading the Health Care Sector to Sustainability,” features hospital executives, medical experts, and leaders of supporting institutions, who conclude that sustainable health care is not just in the interest of patients and public health, but can generate savings to individual hospitals and reduce the nation’s health care bill.

“I believe you can make a great argument for becoming more sustainable and more thoughtful about your environmental impact alone,” stated Jeff Thompson, MD, CEO of Gundersen Lutheran Health System, La Crosse, WI, in the video. “However, you can also save a lot of money. . . . The first $2 million we spent on conservation . . . has resulted in a $1.2 million a year savings. That’s a great return on investment.”

Recent studies, including reports from the President’s Cancer Panel and the World Health Organization, link environmental pollution to human disease such as cancer, respiratory and cardiac illness, neurological and endocrine disruption, and other chronic illnesses, with associated health care costs of over $1.3 trillion a year. Hospitals have responded by engaging in sustainable operations through reducing waste, recycling, environmentally preferred purchasing, green building, substitution of effective alternative cleaners, and purchasing clean energy. But according to executives, not all changes need to be big or costly.

“By making a simple practice change, Kaiser Permanente was able to reduce the number of chemical sterilization kits we used by 17,000 a year,” stated Kathy Gerwig, Vice-President for Workplace Safety and Environmental Stewardship Officer, Kaiser Permanente. “We switched from rigid endoscopes that needed chemical sterilization . . . to endoscopes that could be steam cleaned. And besides reducing chemicals, we are saving more than $1 million a year.”

According to Cleveland Clinic Senior Director of Sustainability and Environmental Strategy, Christina Vernon, AIA, LEED AP, one of the first things the Cleveland Clinic did when they started engaging in sustainability was to join Practice Greenhealth, a membership organization for hospitals and businesses serving those that are engaged in sustainable health care. After Cleveland Clinic’s leadership made the commitment to environmental stewardship, “Practice Greenhealth’s resources helped us hit the ground running. The organization’s awards program helped us obtain buy-in across facilities and helped inspire staff members,” Vernon said. Virginia-based Practice Greenhealth has more than 1100 hospital members.

“The fast growth of Practice Greenhealth reflects the commitment hospitals are making to their sustainability efforts,” said Anna Gilmore Hall, executive director of Practice Greenhealth. “We provide the tools, training and expertise they need so our members can receive guidance and assistance in their efforts to develop sustainable operations, a concept that is often very new to them.” Virginia-based Practice Greenhealth has been in existence for three years and has more than 1100 hospital members.

The Healthier Hospitals Initiative was started by seven major hospital systems of Practice Greenhealth to promote a collective approach to a sustainable health care system. The systems, Advocate Health Care; Catholic Healthcare West; Hospital Corporation of America ; Inova Health System; Kaiser Permanente; MedStar Health Partners HealthCare, along with Practice Greenhealth, Health Care Without Harm and the Center for Health Design hope to use the purchasing power of the health care sector to speed sustainable products to market. HHI has also established a Healthier Hospitals Agenda for hospitals to use as a roadmap for greening their operations.

Environmental concerns are also behind the health care sector’s rapidly growing green building boom. Partners HealthCare in Boston, MA, is building a state-of-the art facility, the Lunder Building as part of its sustainability effort. In the video, John Messervy, AIA, Director of Capital & Facility Planning, Partners HealthCare, describes green features of the building, including high performance curtain walls, a green roof, rainwater collection system, high performance building and energy systems, and green materials, including rubber floors and recycled content for walls and furniture. Partners was also among the first in the nation to build a Healing Garden, which has also become a popular feature in sustainable building.

“Health care needs to transform itself to be a greater force for healing on the planet,” states Gary Cohen, founder and President of Health Care Without Harm. “To not only be concerned with healing its patients but to be concerned with healing the larger community and the environment that sustains us all.” The video was funded in part by BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) and by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Further information on the video and additional referrals and resources are available on the Healthier Hospitals Initiative website.

Partners HealthCare Informatician participates in Webinar about Meaningful Use

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Lydia Siegel, MD, Informatician within the Quality Data Management group at Partners HealthCare discusses how meaningful use requirements can be achieved with existing infrastructure (e.g., enterprise data warehouses, BI tools, and quality reporting registries) while major upgrades to certified tools are in-progress.

Partners engaged Recombinant Data Corp. as a solution provider to aid the development of its meaningful use analytics framework, as well as to provide ongoing guidance throughout the certification process.

Click here to find the Meaningful Use Webinar, available through Recominant Data Corp.

*Registration is required to view the Webinar.

Massachusetts General Hospital celebrates its 200th Anniversary this year

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Massachusetts General Hospital is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year. Beginning on February 25th, the date on which the the hospital's charter was signed 200 years ago, the hospital is marking the milestone with various events throughout the year.

Find out more about these events at Massachusetts General Hospital's website.

Read about Mass General's contributions to the medical history of Boston and the nation from The Boston Globe.

South End resident receives citizenship with help from Partners HealthCare program

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Glenda Donald, a patient services coordinator at Massachusetts General Hospital, recently became a U.S. citizen after taking part in a free course offered to Partners HealthCare employees. The course, run by Jewish Vocational Services through a grant from the Fish Family Foundation, offered Donald that chance to become a citizen in the country in which she has lived for the past seven years. A native of Trinidad and Tobago, Donald has been working in Mass General's cardiology division for years. She graduated the course along with 199 classmates.

Partners’ Career and Workforce Development program receives $500,000 grant from Boston Foundation

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Partners Career and Workforce Development (PCWD) programs have been helping Partners employees and community residents learn about employment in a health care field. The Boston Foundation, a local non profit organization, recently awarded PCWD $500,000 to continue its valuable educational work. The foundation also awarded money to two other Boston health systems.

Partners has used the grant to create new online classes and has enrolled 220 people.

Learn more about PCWD.

Text message reminders improve medication adherance in patients with skin conditions

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare's Center for Connected Health published a study recently outlining the success it saw in using text message reminders to encourage patients with skin conditions to take their medications. The patients, who had atopic dermatosis (a type of eczema), participated in a six-week study involving text message reminders and education. At the close of the study, 76% of patients reported having an improved skin condition.

Decline in use of imaging seen in 2010

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT

During 2010, the use of imaging dropped significantly—at an almost unheard of rate for a year-over-year reduction by five to 10 percent. At Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the founding hospitals of Partners HealthCare, imaging was down 9.2% overall. This is likely a combination of the poor economy affecting patients’ decisions to have imaging done, and payment incentives from insurers.

Newton-Wellesley Hospital CIO shares insights on preparing for Meaningful Use

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Scott MacLean, Newton-Wellesley Hospital's Chief Information Officer (CIO), shared with Mass High Tech his thoughts on Meaningful Use and how his hospitlal's investments in IS systems have helped the hospital improve quality.

The Hot Spotters: New Yorker article from Dr. Atul Gawande

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT

By focusing on the population that utilizes the greatest amount of medical care, and therefore the largest amount of costs, providers are seeing a reduction in spending and care.

Dr. Atul Gawande, a physician at Partners’ Brigham and Women’s Hospital, explores this model in his latest article in The New Yorker. He focuses on the efforts of a coalition out of Camden New Jersey to change the habits of the patients at highest risk, who were driving up that city’s health care costs.

Small steps in Congresswoman Giffords' recovery

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was recently shot in the head by a psychotic gunman, is making remarkable recovery. Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital's Dr. Ross Zafonte shared his insights into brain injury and recovery from those types of injuries with New England Cable News. Only 10% of people with brain injuries survive, so her outlook is positive.

Additionally, Dr. Zafonte shared his expertise on Giffords' progress with WBUR's Here and Now program.

View the clip.

Listen to the program.

Red Hot Accountable Care- an opinion piece by The Mongan Institute of Health Policy’s Kate Goonan

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Accountable Care Organization is a new buzzword in health care. Kate Goonan, MD, of Partners’ Mongan Institute for Health Policy, explains how Accountable Care Organizations will be a game changer as health reform moves on. Instead of being rewarded for providing as much care as possible, hospitals in the future will be rewarded for getting patients back to their daily lives and out of the hospital.

This new term is not yet understood well and therefore it is an area rife for misinterpretations. Goonan helps to break down how Accountable Care Organizations will make a difference in the future.

Boston hospitals are more often sending physicians and residents to care for global populations.

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT

More often today, hospitals are offering global health programs to their residents and physicians. Many more clinicians than ever before are interested in improving health on a global scale, and the need is great.

Massachusetts General Hospital's Center for Global Health offers chances for clinicians to travel abroad to third world countries and provide basic health care. As many as 25% of medical residents express interest in doing so. Learning to “do more with less” is just one of the skills that residents bring home with them, in addition to serving a global population.

Kraft Family, Partners HealthCare To Establish National Center for Community Health

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Robert and Myra Kraft and Partners HealthCare today announced the creation of a new center whose mission is to improve access and quality of health care for the neediest people in our communities, not only in Massachusetts, but across the nation. A $20 million gift from the Kraft family will fund The Kraft Family National Center for Leadership and Training in Community Health (The Center) to create an innovative fellowship program aimed at training a new generation of community-based physician leaders. In addition, financial incentives will be offered to foster recruitment of more than 100 doctors and master’s-prepared nurses to practice in community health settings. Over time, the effort will help to make significant strides toward addressing and eliminating specific barriers to care. The gift also will support community cancer programs at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

“My family and I are among the lucky ones who have received the incredible care available at Brigham and Women’s, Mass General and other top-flight medical institutions in New England, but there are far too many without access to the life-changing, life-saving care of the world’s best medical professionals,” said Robert Kraft. “Myra and I, as well as our entire family, hope that the center will establish a national model to motivate the most talented doctors and nurses to practice in community health settings where their expertise can have an immeasurable impact.”

“We have made tremendous gains in this state providing health coverage to families across the Commonwealth, but certain inequities and disparities still exist. This gift allows us to bring the best and the brightest to care for the sickest populations and those most in need. It allows us to build on the strength of our community health centers, academic medical centers, universities and health care professionals to find compassionate and effective solutions to these challenging health access issues” said Gary Gottlieb, MD, President and CEO of Partners HealthCare. “Very simply, we hope to inspire a new generation of clinicians to make a commitment to solve many community health problems here in Massachusetts and across the country, and greatly improve the health of those in need.”

Even with Massachusetts’ historic success providing health care coverage, 15 percent of Massachusetts residents report difficulty finding a health care provider. Specific shortages have been reported in family medicine, internal medicine and psychiatry. These shortages are one of several factors leading to significant disparities in the health status of certain populations, particularly those residents living in poverty. Addressing and eliminating these disparities is essential to making the entire health care system work.

The Center, based at Partners HealthCare will address these issues in three ways:

Fellowship Training Program
This fellowship will develop world-class leaders in community health in primary care, internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, and women’s health. These physicians will train in community settings, caring for high-risk populations while being mentored by renowned leaders in the field and studying in graduate degree programs at Harvard University.

Financial Recruitment Incentives
In an effort to immediately increase the number of qualified providers delivering care in community settings, the program will include a loan repayment incentive of $50,000 for physicians who commit to a minimum of two years of service in a community-based program. Additionally, a loan repayment incentive of $30,000 will be made available for nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, psychiatric nurse practitioners, and other master’s-prepared nurses who make the same commitment. This effort is expected to yield an additional 100 care providers, creating capacity for about 200,000 patients.

National Resource
The Center is expected to serve as a resource for other health care professionals throughout the country who are attempting to tackle these same issues. Those completing the Fellowship will likely have a multiplier effect as they go on to train and mentor future generations of caregivers and are available to share best practices with colleagues around the nation. The Center will develop and support a National Advisory Council comprised of recognized leaders in the field. Council members will help The Center leverage resources across the country and link to other prestigious programs, ensuring continuous program improvement and helping to replicate these ideas in other parts of the country.

“We are thrilled and grateful for the Kraft family’s continued support for making cancer care more accessible and effective,” said Edward J. Benz, Jr, MD., president and CEO of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. “We will use this wonderful opportunity to strengthen and expand our community-based care and research.”

Read The Boston Globe article on this story.

Partners' Online College Prep Program helps with career advancement

Thu, 06 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare has launched an online learning initiative to address the shortage of allied health professionals and help employees further their own careers. These include positions such as pharmacy technologist, radiology technologist, and phlebotomist.

Because many college courses are now offered online or feature an online component, Partners has developed a preparatory course to help interested Partners employees get a feel for how to participate in an online course. Called the Online College Prep Program, the intention is to help Partners employees achieve their career goals.

Atul Gawande shares his views on health care reform with On Point radio program

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Atul Gawande, MD, a surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital who also writes for the New Yorker and has led several high-profile patient safety projects, shares his thoughts about health reform and the state of health care with Tom Ashbrook during a segment of the On Point radio program.

Listen to the interview.

Mass General cancer test receives backing

Mon, 03 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, a founding member of Partners HealthCare, have announced a partnership with Johnson and Johnson to develop a blood test, able to detect tiny traces of cancer.

The partnership, a $30 million deal, will help bring this blood test to market. The test is a microchip that detects low levels of cancer within the bloodstream. Although the researchers are currently testing the chip on patients who have cancer, the goal is to use it in the future to identify patients who do not yet have cancer.

Partners' Strategic Initiative

Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Partners' President and CEO, Gary Gottlieb, MD outlines in this video Partners' vision for the future, focusing on the delivery of care to patients and their families, with an emphasis on improving quality and affordability. Dr. Gottlieb describes Partners' strategy in the areas of care redesign and patient affordability while highlighting Partners' value to the community as a high quality system of care.

Partners’ President named to “Eleven to watch in ‘11” list

Fri, 31 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare President and CEO Gary Gottlieb, MD, has been named one of the Boston Business Journal’s “Eleven to Watch in ‘11”.

Patriots, with MGH and BWH, celebrate culmination of season-long 'Kick Cancer' initiative

Thu, 30 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The New England Patriots will mark the end of its season-long “Kick Cancer” campaign, a joint effort with Partners HealthCare hospitals that aimed to raise awareness about cancer. The final game of the season, against the Miami Dolphins, will feature a half time ceremony that recognizes fans in attendance who have or had cancer.

Throughout the Kick Cancer initiative, representatives from Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the two founding hospitals of Partners HealthCare, handed out literature about cancer screening and prevention at home games. The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute was also a part of the campaign. Patriots players were also featured in public service announcements about cancer screenings.

Partners HealthCare awards Taunton's Morton Hospital $150,000 grant to go owards psychiatric services for patients

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare has awarded a grant to Morton Hospital and Medical Center for improving psychiatric services to emergency department patients. The $150,000 grant will be used to help caregivers better assess and place psychiatric patients, which will lead to improved patient and staff safety.

Morton Hospital and Medical Center is facing some financial challenges, and leaders at the facility said this grant will help them continue to deliver vital services to its community. Partners HealthCare is committed to providing services for hospitals outside of the Boston area.

Achieving Meaningful Use: A Health System Perspective

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

In an American Journal of Managed Care article, Partners’ Thomas Lee and Cindy Bero explain that Partners HealthCare is in a unique position of having started its transition to using electronic medical records and making it a requirement of physicians in its system earlier in the game than many other hospitals and systems. Other health systems could learn from the way Partners went about transitioning its physicians from a paper medical record to an electronic medical record.

Beginning in 2002, Partners Community Healthcare, Inc., Partners physician network, began to roll out use of electronic medical records to its community physicians. By 2006, participation had reached a critical mass, and in 2007, Partners began to mandate that all ambulatory physicians use the electronic medical record.

The new HITECH act presents new challenges for the use of electronic medical records, and Partners intends to embrace those challenges and move forward in the same way it did in the past decade.

Health care reform may create changes for doctors and patients

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Enhanced communication between patients and doctors is rapidly becoming a part of how care is delivered today, and is sure to play a larger role in the future.

Gary Gottlieb, MD, President and CEO of Partners HealthCare, comments in this article about improved patient access to their own medical records and physicians. Partners is currently undertaking a pilot project to measure the benefits of this type of system.

As health care premiums continue to rise, how physicians and hospitals are paid is coming into question. By better managing a patient’s care through e-mail and online communication, physicians can reduce patient visits to the doctor’s office, and in the future may be paid to interact with patients in this way.

Partners places blame on insurers for care costs

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare recently sent a letter to the commission of the Massachusetts Division of Insurance arguing that although its costs have risen by 5 or 6% each year, health insurance costs have risen by 15-20% each year, which is why health premiums continue to rise.

Partners is committed to being a part of the solution in reducing costs. Partners has approached insurance companies about reopening contracts for 2012 so that global payments can be discussed as a method of cost reduction.

Improved Colorectal Screenings

Thu, 09 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Image processing technologies being tested by Massachusetts General Hospital aim to get rid of the massive amounts of laxatives patients have to take prior to colorectal cancer screenings via colonoscopy.

Instead of using a camera to take pictures of the colon, the technology utilizes CT scans to take thousands of images of the colon, and no laxative ingestion. Patients drink a small amount of contrast for use with the scan.

Learn more.

Partners' Tom Lee shares perspective on health care's "value framework"

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

In this “Perspective” from the New England Journal of Medicine, Thomas H. Lee, Partners Community Healthcare, Inc. President, shares his ideas about what “value” really means to health care, and how to measure value.

Lee asserts that measuring and delivering real value has been something that many health systems have tried to do thus far, but have been unsuccessful at. Perhaps this is because defining what value means has been elusive, and standardizing how to measure value as well as who does the work in gathering this type of data has been difficult. However, now more than ever, value is something that all providers agree is something they are striving to deliver.

Newton-Wellesley Hospital recognized for exemplary surgical outcomes

Mon, 06 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Newton-Wellesley Hospital, a part of Partners HealthCare, has been recognized by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) National Surgical Quality Improvement Program for being one of 26 hospitals in the nation to have exemplary performance on surgical outcomes measures.

The hospital is required to track outcomes of performance measures in five clinical areas because of its participation in the ACS program. These areas include deep vein thrombosis, cardiac incidents, pneumonia, surgical site infection, and urinary tract infection. The 26 hospitals achieved their recognition by performing in exemplary in at least two of the five clinical areas.

McLean Hospital doctors develop biological test for autism

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Researchers from McLean Hospital, a part of Partners HealthCare, have discovered a biological test for autism which far outperforms the current subjective test available.

There is currently no biological indicator that can be used to tell if a child has autism. Although the test is not yet ready for clinical use, it is considered a promising advance in the field of autism research.

Hear Dr. Nicholas Lange, the study’s lead author, interviewed on WBUR.

Two members of Partners HealthCare’s Primary Care Access Project profiled

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Two women, both immigrants who were physicians in their own countries, are now primary care access project coordinators at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. They help minority patients who often do not speak English connect with appropriate primary care physicians.

Between the two, they have placed more than 3,800 patients with primary care physicians through Partners HealthCare’s Primary Care Access Project. A similar projects is also run through North Shore Medical Center.

North Shore Medical Center physicians honored for community service.

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Three physicians, two from Swampscott, at North Shore Medical Center have been honored for professional excellence and their deep commitment to serving our community.

The doctors won the Holyoke Memorial Award, named after a well-known 18th century physician from Salem. Nominated by their peers, Dr. Peter Sheckman and Dr. Maurice Greenbaum received the 2010 award for their work at North Shore Medical Center for more than 30 years each.

MA Health Policy Forum attendees discuss cutting health care costs

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

More than 500 state leaders and policy makers met at the Massachusetts Health Policy Forum with concerns about how to cut health care costs in the state.

Agreed upon solutions include new team-based health care payment and delivery approaches, which would demand sacrifices from hospitals, doctors, and insurers. Implementing any of these solutions, however, will require sacrifice from hospitals and health systems.

Partners HealthCare president and CEO Gary Gottlieb attended the meeting.

Ragon Institute to co-host 2012 HIV conference

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, with the Harvard Center for AIDS Research, will serve as the Local Host of AIDS Vaccine 2012, the world's largest and most prestigious global scientific conference focused exclusively on HIV vaccine research.

It is expected that more than 1,000 AIDS researchers, clinicians, and community advocates from around the world will attend the conference. AIDS Vaccine 2012 will be held September 9 – 13, 2012 in Boston, Massachusetts.

View the full release.

South End resident celebrate five years at Partners Hospital

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

A South End resident was honored recently for her five years of service at MassGeneral Hospital for Children as a medical records specialist.

Sharon Kittrell originally began her job with the hospital after taking part in Partners HealthCare’s Training and Employment Program. This free program includes a six-week training course for eligible residents that prepares them for entry level positions in the health care industry.

Dr. Aisha Wright honored for efforts as Primary Care Physician

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Everett resident Aisha Wright was recently honored by John D. Stoeckle Center for Primary Care with a Portrait in Primary Care from Massachusetts General Hospital. The award, recognizing excellence in primary care, was bestowed upon Wright for her service as a patient services coordinator in the hospitals’ Senior Health Practice.

Wright was a participant in Partners HealthCare’s Training and Employment program, which has helped her achieve success in her field. Massachusetts General Hospital is a founding member of Partners HealthCare.

Verizon to Issue Identity Credentials to Nearly All U.S. Health Care Professionals

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Verizon will offer medical identity credentials in January to 2.3 million physicians, in an effort to move forward the use of electronic health records. The Associate Director of Partners’ Center for Connected Health, Joseph Ternullo, comments on the announcement.

"Verizon's issuance of medical identity credentials to U.S. health care professionals promises to help solve many of the information technology challenges faced by providers and facilitate the secure exchange of health information among credentialed health care professionals,” said Ternullo. “Verizon is creating a clear path toward meeting federal requirements for the use of strong identity credentials.”

Read the full release.

Partners HealthCare program helps prevent seniors from falling

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Suffering a fall can be dangerous for anyone, but if you’re a senior, a fall can be particularly debilitating. A course titled, “A Matter of Balance,” sponsored by Partners HealthCare and Newton-Wellesley Hospital aims to prevent seniors from falling.

Participants in the course learn where safety issues may lie in their everyday habits, and actions they can take to reduce the risk of falling. The course also doubles as a chance to engage seniors in strength and balance exercises.

Mass General’s Center for Global Health director featured in Globe Q & A

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Massachusetts General Hospital’s Dr. David Bangsburg leads the hospital’s Center for Global Health. The goal of this group is to educate physicians interested in global health issues about how to solve them, and improve the health of people everywhere.

Many young physicians are even more interested in global health, and Dr. Bangsburg says that is likely because the younger generation is used to instant contact with friends and colleagues from around the world.

Partners planning to reduce costs

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare recognizes that it needs to take action to control costs, as health care spending continues to rise at a fast pace in Massachusetts. The organization will be focusing on patient affordability in the coming years be redesigning how care is delivered as well as paid for.

Partners CEO Gary Gottlieb has been delivering this “Case for Change” message across the organization. He’s also been focused on how to improve the image of Partners in the public’s view.

Partners HealthCare's Blackford Middleton named one of top 25 clinical informaticists

Mon, 08 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare’s Blackford Middleton is named to Modern Healthcare’s list of top 25 clinical informaticists.

Op Ed in The Boston Globe: "Green is Good Economics"

Gary Gottlieb and Anne Finucane — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare, along with Bank of America and other area businesses, has teamed up to form the Green Ribbon Commission to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Gary Gottlieb, Partners HealthCare's President and CEO, along with Anne Finucane, of Bank of America, wrote an op-ed article on this topic for The Boston Globe. As part of the Green Ribbon Commisson's pledge, Partners hospitals will reduce energy consumption by 25% over the next three years.

Decline seen in doctors’ ties to drug companies

Mon, 08 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT

According to a study done by researchers from Partners’ Mongan Institute of Health Policy, fewer doctors are maintaining ties with the drug industry. However, eight out of 10 doctors still accept gifts from drug companies, making the reduction a slight one.

Physicians who perpetuate ties with the drug industry are receiving a greater amount of scrutiny as more attention is being paid to the relationship between this tie and a physician’s medical practice.

Partners has instituted strict policies concerning gifts from drug companies for its employees. You can read more about our rules here.

Partners HealthCare named to the Boston Globe’s Top Places to Work List

Sun, 07 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare has again been named as one of Boston’s Top Places to Work, by The Boston Globe.

Texting for healthy babies; Expecting moms get encouragement, medical reminders via text messages

Sun, 07 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Expectant moms receiving care at the Lynn Community Health Center recently took part in a pilot text messaging program designed to engage them in keeping their health, and the health of their unborn baby, a priority. The program was funded by Partners.

Doctors mentor students through pen pal program

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT

A mentoring program through Massachusetts General Hospital connects area students with physicians in a penpal relationship. The program, a part of the Massachusetts General Hospital’s Community Health Improvement program, aims to create a formalized mentor experience, push Boston area students to stay in school, and encourage students to study healthcare.

Students and mentors corresponded over e-mail and were given opportunities to meet in person.

Plan to prevent falls in elderly hospital patients shows initial success

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT

A new Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) study done by clinician researchers at four Partners HealthCare hospitals shows that personal, computer-driven fall prevention plans can reduce the risk of falling in elderly patients. The study, published by lead author Patricia Dykes of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, examined whether a personal fall prevention toolkit could help reduce falls especially among elderly patients, as they have a higher risk of falling. Falls are one of the main causes of injury within the hospital.

The study found that 67 patients within the test group, who received the computerized toolkit, fell. That is compared with 87 patients in the control group who fell.

MGH caregivers deploy to Haiti to assist during cholera epidemic

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT

With the recent cholera outbreak in Haiti, Mass General nurses and physicians recently traveled to the country to provide care.

The country is still in ruins from January’s devastating earthquake, and caring for patients affected by the cholera outbreak is particularly difficult due to the lack of stable medical facilities as well as medical supplies

Betsy Nabel: A Conversation About the Role of an Academic Medical Center in the Advancement of Global Health

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Betsy Nabel is a renowned cardiologist, health policy expert, and researcher who is best known for her role in the development of novel genetic and cellular therapies for cardiovascular disease. Thirty years after completing her residency at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), she returned to serve as the hospital's president in 2010. Throughout her career, Dr. Nabel has championed the position that advances in medical research should be shared worldwide. In her current role as BWH president, Dr. Nabel accepts a special responsibility to train a new generation of physician-scientists who will impact human health on a global basis.

Partners HealthCare to participate in national collaboration to reduce miscommunication errors.

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The Joint Commission’s Center for Transforming Healthcare has launched a new initiative to improve handoff communications among caregivers. Partners HealthCare is one of ten leading hospitals and health systems from around the U.S. that will take part in this initiative.

It is estimated that 80% of all serious medical errors involve some sort of breakdown in communication, and transitions in care are a time during which good communication is vital to patient safety.

To better understand the scope of this issue, you can view a video from the Center for Transforming Healthcare, featuring Terrence O’Malley, MD, medical director, Non-Acute Care Services, Partners HealthCare, Massachusetts General Hospital.

Boston Globe Editorial praises Partners practice of banning drug company payment to physicians

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT

This Boston Globe Editorial discusses why Partners HealthCare’s policy to ban payments from drug companies to their physicians is a good one.

Aside from the practice being a suspect one, often drug companies do not discriminate between physicians in good standing, and physicians that have less than stellar records.

Boston students took part in summer internships at Partners' hospitals

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The two founding hospitals of Partners HealthCare, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, provided many health care internships to Boston youth last summer. The hospitals, trying to support Mayor Menino's call for support of Boston youth through summer jobs, trained teenagers in a variety of health care fields. Additionally, the hospitals were able to hire some of the summer interns for regular positions at the close of the summer program.

Heidi Rehm named to Boston Business Journal's 40 Under 40

Mon, 11 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Heidi Rehm, director of the Laboratory of Molecular Medicine within Parthers HealthCare’s Center for Personalized Genetic Medicine, has been named to the Boston Business Journal's list of 40 Under 40. Her job requires her to walk a line between developing new genetic tests, and incorporating discovery into clinical practice.

Additionally, Rehm has her eye on developing the next generation of molecular genecists, a field in which there is currently a shortage of people.

Partners Physicians Elected to Institute of Medicine

Mon, 11 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Seven Partners physicians, including CEO and President Gary Gottlieb, were elected as members of the Institute of Medicine.

This election is one of the greatest honors that a physician can achieve and represents his or her dedication to the field of medicine as well as to service.

Find the full list.

Creating Accountable Care Organizations

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The U.S. government is pushing for the creation of Accountable Care Organizations as means of improving health care and reducing costs. However, the definition of an accountable care organization has yet to be determined, and how they will actually function is currently something up for debate.

This New England Journal of Medicine roundtable, moderated by Partners’ Thomas Lee, brings together health care experts to discuss the topic.

MGH Midwives in Haiti

Fri, 17 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The earthquake in Haiti made delivering a baby in the country even more dangerous than it previously was. Prior to the quake the country had the highest maternal mortality rate in the Western hemisphere.

In September Mass General midwives who had traveled to Haiti to help deliver healthy babies and prevent maternal death presented on their spring visit to the ravaged country.

Patient safety in the ambulatory setting

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Much attention has been paid to improving patient safety within the hospital setting, but an increasing amount of patient care is being delivered outside of the hospital, in an ambulatory setting.

Currently the methods for keeping patients safe in these settings are not scrutinized as much as those in hospitals, and practices are less stringent. There must be better strategies for monitoring and improving patient safety in these areas.

This New England Journal of Medicine Perspective by Partners HealthCare's Tom Lee, MD, and Tejal Gandhi, MD, MPH, illuminates some of the strategies for improving patient safety.

Massachusetts General and Brigham and Women's Hospitas ranked on U.S. National News Honor Roll

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT

BOSTON – Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), the founders of Partners HealthCare, have again ranked among the nation’s top hospitals on the U.S. News & World Report annual Honor Roll of America’s Best Hospitals. MGH ranked third nationally, while BWH ranked eleventh. This achievement makes Boston the only city in the United States with two hospitals on the Honor Roll. In all, four Partners HealthCare hospitals earned high rankings in the report.

“Our mission is to deliver high quality care, conduct life-saving research, support the health needs of our community and educate the health care professionals of tomorrow,” said Partners President and CEO Gary L. Gottlieb, MD, MBA. “Our mission has enabled Partners to attract some of the brightest scientific minds and most compassionate clinicians to the region. Only through their dedication can we deliver this level excellence to patients in Massachusetts and set Boston apart as the only city in the U.S. with two hospitals to earn this distinction.”

Partners hospitals also scored well in the individual specialties rankings, rating among the top ten in 15 of the 16 fields. BWH ranked among the top ten in kidney disease for the fourth consecutive year, while also ranking among the top three in gynecology. MGH was ranked first in psychiatry for the fifteenth consecutive year.

McLean Hospital ranked third in psychiatry, continuing to be the highest-ranking freestanding psychiatric hospital on the list.

Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital placed fourth in rehabilitation -- its highest rank ever. It was again the only New England rehabilitation hospital making the list.

In addition, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, with which Partners formed Dana-Farber/Partners CancerCare, ranked sixth nationally in cancer, while the MGH Cancer Center ranked seventh.

MGH was among the top ten hospitals in the country in fourteen specialties, including psychiatry, cancer, cardiology, endocrinology, digestive disorders, geriatrics, gynecology, neurology/neurosurgery, kidney disease, ophthalmology, orthopedics, otolaryngology, respiratory disease, and rheumatology.

BWH ranked in the top ten hospitals in the country in five categories, including kidney disease, cardiology, endocrinology, gynecology, and rheumatology.

U.S. News analyzed data on 4,852 medical centers to produce this year’s rankings. Only 152 hospitals were ranked in one or more specialties and, of those, just 14 earned Honor Roll status.

Teaching: Scholarly Teaching and Scholarship of Teaching—Making it Count Twice

Mon, 10 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Grand Rounds Presentation by Dr. Georges Bordage, a professor in the Department of Medical Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and has directed Masters programs in health sciences and health Professions education. Dr. Bordage has served as Chairman of the Editorial Board of Medical Education. He is a past recipient of the Abraham Flexner Award of the Association of American Medical College for extraordinary contributions to the medical education community.

Mass General Hospital rallies together to support those affected by earthquake in Haiti

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Massachusetts General Hospital swiftly coordinated its response efforts in regards to the January 2010 Haiti earthquake. The organization sent teams of physicians and nurses in the wake of the disaster, as well as addressed the needs of its own staff members who are Haitian and have family members in Haiti.

Mass General has set up a website to chronicle the efforts of its staff in helping serve the people of Haiti. This includes information about deployed staff, notes from staff in the field, how visitors can help, media coverage, and more.

Visit the website.

Brigham and Women's Hospital Caring for Haiti

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

In response to the earthquake that devastated Haiti in January 2010, Brigham and Women’s Hospital sent many teams of caregivers to the country to help with the relief efforts. Clinicians from all across the hospital volunteered their time to help those in need.

Brigham and Women’s Hospital has catalogued many of the experiences of its caregivers at one web page. This includes videos and personal thoughts about time spent on the ground in Haiti.

Partners releases new, strict rules regarding conflicts of interest

Sat, 02 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Partners HealthCare has set forth new rules that strictly limit the amount of pay its employees can receive for serving on outside company boards, for example in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industries. The rules have been called the strictest in existence and their goal is to limit conflicts of interest.

In addition, Partners has forbid payments received by medical professionals for speaking on behalf of a drug company.

Read more about these rules from the New York Times and The Boston Globe.

Paul Farmer Unplugged: A Conversation about Global Health, Haiti, and What Makes Boston a Medical Powerhouse

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Paul Farmer is a physician, a medical anthropologist, an author, and a philanthropist who is best known for challenging the widely-held view that it is impossible to provide quality health care in resource-poor areas such as Haiti. Dr. Farmer is also the subject of Mountains Beyond Mountains, an international best seller by Tracy Kidder.

Thoughts on health care finance, policy, and mentorship

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Video presentation by Tom Lee, MD, President, Partners Community Health Care.

Health Care Policy and IT

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Presentation by David Bates, MD, Medical Director of Clinical and Quality Analysis, Partners Analysis, for the Quality and Safety Center of Expertise.

Checklists

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A video presentation by Atul Gawande, MD

"When Things go Wrong" and "Sued"

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

When Things Go Wrong for Physicians: Malpractice Discussion with Gregg Meyer, MD, MSc, MGH Senior Vice President for Quality and Patient Safety and Tejal Gandhi, Partners Director of Patient Safety. This presentation was given for the Quality and Safety Center of Expertise.

Future Directions for Undergraduate and Graduate Medical Education: What Would Flexner Think? Perspectives from the Carnegie study of Medical Education

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

This video shows a presentation by Dr. David Irby, Vice Dean for Education and Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco where he directs undergraduate, graduate and continuing medical education programs of the School of Medicine and leads the Office of Medical Education. As a Senior Scholar at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, he also co-directs a national study on the professional preparation of physicians - the Second Flexner Report.

Quality and Safety 101, Part 1

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Part one of a quality and safety presentation given by Lucian Leape, MD, Professor of Health Policy, Harvard School of Public Health.

Quality and Safety 101, Part 2

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Part two of a quality and safety presentation given by Lucian Leape, MD, Professor of Health Policy, Harvard School of Public Health.