Partners is fortunate to be able to draw upon the expertise of two full service major medical centers - Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) - and unique specialty hospitals (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, McLean mental health hospital, and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital). Every specialty area of medicine and surgery is well-represented and we are always open to discussing the special needs of international collaborators.

Partners has made large and sustained investment in these areas for the past five years and we are now seeing the benefits begin to accrue in better patient care. Our practical knowledge of quality measurement systems, executing pay-for-performance contracts, and reporting methods for quality care programs can be made available to associated institutions. We welcome multi-year international associations with groups that wish to leverage high performance medicine lessons in projects designed to accelerate patient care improvements.

We offer specialized consulting programs in the following areas:

High Performance Medicine
Mental Health Programs
Primary Care System Design and Development
Radiology Consulting
Specialty Care Programs
Trauma and Emergency Services
Wellness Services

High Performance Medicine

Physicians and hospitals around the world face daunting challenges in staying abreast of new clinical knowledge and applying information technology to medical practice. Partners' scale, resources and depth of expertise are valuable assets in seeking to harness the power of science and technology. Our current efforts are organized around the vision of "High Performance Medicine" (HPM). The tenets of HPM at Partners are:

• Maximizing the use of new information technology
• Increasing patient safety and reducing medical errors
• Making high quality uniform across the Partners system
• Coordinating care for patients with high-cost diseases
• Improving efficiency in the use of medications and radiology

Read more about Partners' advancements in high performance medicine.

Mental Health Programs

In 2001, the World Health Organization cited depression as the leading cause of disability worldwide and mental health generally as a top health priority across the globe. The McLean Hospital and the MGH Department of Psychiatry are internationally recognized leaders in mental health and can assist public and private groups to strengthen mental health services for their patients. Partners will perform programmatic or system-wide assessments, develop improvement plans, and provide on-going training and advice to help associated mental health providers achieve their goals.

Primary Care System Design and Development

Aging populations, growing affluence, escalating costs for medical technology and other factors are putting financial pressure on public health systems -- often at the expense of primary care. Yet it has long been recognized that the "returns" to societies that invest in primary care are substantial and form the basis for accelerated social and economic development. Partners stands ready to assist governments in assessing their current primary care systems, designing more effective systems to achieve improvements in health status, quality measurement and patient safety performance standards; and implementing these plans to ensure their success.

Radiology Consulting

Partners offers a comprehensive range of radiology consulting services through Partners Radiology, drawing upon the MGH and BWH departments of radiology. In addition, our international projects benefit from the additional capabilities of the RCG HealthCare Consulting (RCG). RCG offers unique management and IT consulting services and tools to hospital radiology departments, private practices and freestanding imaging centers worldwide. Our experienced consultants are practicing professionals, providing the most innovative solutions and up-to-date knowledge in their fields. Services include:

• Operations Assessment
• Outpatient Imaging Strategy
• Strategy Planning
• Retreat Facilitation
• Operational Change: Implementation Support
• Billing Management
• Marketing Services
• Interventional Radiology
• “Turf Battle” Negotiations
• Radiologist Workload Analysis
• Peer Review Program
• Contract Review – Hospital and Radiology Group

Information Technology Consulting

• PACS Tune-Up
• Digital Imaging Department: Workflow Integrity Program (WIP)
• IT Strategic Planning and Vendor Selection – PACS/RIS/Speech Recognition
• IT Implementation Support
• Business Intelligence
• Training Support

Products

• CT Optimization

Educational Resources

• PACS Administrator Training School
• Growing and Developing a Diagnostic Imaging Center
• Transitioning from Peer to Supervisor in the Radiology Environment
• Implementing Competency-Based Training in a Radiology Department
• Improving Patient Safety in Radiology: Conducting a Failure Mode and Effect Analysis
• Managing Change in a Complex Radiology Department

Specialty Care Programs

Rapid economic growth in many parts of the world is creating demand on public institutions and opportunities for private hospitals to provide the latest specialized medical care. Partners maintains centers of excellence in a broad range of specialties and subspecialties. International groups planning substantial commitments to specialty centers of excellence are invited to discuss their needs and potentially to form a clinical association. Our most frequent requests relate to oncology and cardiology.

• Multi-disciplinary Cancer Care - Partners' joint venture in adult oncology with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute brings together an unsurpassed array of resources to address the challenges of cancer research and cancer care. Our international associates benefit from participating in multi-disciplinary case conferences, sharing clinical protocols, preceptorships in requested disease programs, and assistance introducing new techniques and technologies. Genetic research is also contributing new tests that improve diagnostic specificity and enable earlier and more targeted applications of effective treatments.
• Cardiovascular Care - BWH and MGH operate large and accomplished cardiac programs backed by the largest cardiovascular research effort in the United States. International associates benefit from exploring new models of organizing cardiovascular services, input on program design and development, sharing of clinical protocols, and international visiting physician programs at BWH and MGH.

Trauma and Emergency Services

For many countries, trauma is a major source of morbidity and mortality, causing great suffering and placing considerable strain on fragile health systems. Partners recognizes the profound consequences of trauma worldwide and works with governments and health providers to strengthen local capabilities to handle these challenges. The BWH and MGH emergency and trauma departments offer a plethora of planning, assessment and development services for international clients.

• System Assessment and Design - Assessments can be undertaken from the perspective of the individual facility, a network of related institutions, or a government agency responsible for a geographic territory. A systemic analysis that addresses early response issues, equipment, personnel and training, and specialized medical and surgical capabilities will identify gaps and provide direction for future development.
• Training and Development - Partners offers overseas collaborators multi-modality training programs for emergency medical and trauma staff. Training can be done through traditional didactic methods in seminar and classroom formats, through the use of simulation technology, and through preceptor experiences at a Partners hospital.
• Simulation Training Centers - Partners can assist local institutions to develop training centers utilizing the most advanced simulation technology. The establishment of such training centers can position the local provider as a regional leader in the field.

  
  View STRATUS Center for Medical Simulation VIDEO

Wellness Services

Good health is increasingly viewed as not only the absence of illness, but the presence of physical, emotional and spiritual vitality. Through its association with WorldCare, Ltd., Partners provides turnkey solutions for state-of-the-art wellness programs. WorldCare is a developer and operator of wellness centers, offering on-site management capabilities. Partners' contributes know-how in the design of disease screening programs, testing, and remote specialty consultation services, as well as patient counseling. International investors who are interested in wellness programs are invited to contact us for more information.