Newswise — BOSTON — Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians at BIDMC (HMFP) and MetroWest Medical Center (MWMC) have signed a clinical affiliation agreement that will expand access to clinical services west of Boston and strengthen the organizations’ ability to provide comprehensive and coordinated patient care. The agreement also designates BIDMC and HMFP as MWMC’s clinical affiliate for advanced care, giving patients streamlined access to BIDMC specialists when needed. “Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is committed to offering patients the best care in the right location through an integrated health care system,” said Kevin Tabb, MD, President and CEO of BIDMC. “This affiliation will bring substantial benefits to patients and families in the western suburbs. MetroWest’s two community hospitals will continue to provide quality care close to home with the capacity of serving patients with more complex needs at our academic medical center in Boston.”
Under the agreement, the organizations will work together to enhance the range of services offered by MWMC, including primary care, oncology, surgery, and obstetrics and gynecology. BIDMC and MWMC will also link medical record systems to allow for viewing of records by all providers involved in a patient’s care regardless of location, achieving a level of clinical cooperation that will provide optimal access to care.
"MetroWest's number one focus is serving its patients within the community,” said Barbara Doyle, MHA, RN, CEO of MWMC. “This new collaboration with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center will allow MetroWest to provide additional services in the local area, further enhancing the care we provide our patients. Additionally, our patients will have greater access to a broad range of specialists through our affiliation with one of the nation's leading academic medical centers."
MWMC includes Framingham Union Hospital in Framingham and Leonard Morse Hospital in Natick. MWMC will remain an independent organization with its own community board and local governance.
“In this rapidly changing health care environment, we must have systems in place to offer coordinated care for patients across the continuum of care,” said Stuart Rosenberg, MD, President and CEO of HMFP, the physician group at BIDMC, which has more than 1,200 Harvard Medical School faculty members. “This approach to coordinated care is fundamental to our new relationship with MetroWest Medical Center.”
The agreement is subject to review by the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission.
About Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
BIDMC is a tertiary patient care, teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School and consistently ranks as a national leader among independent hospitals in National Institutes of Health funding.
BIDMC has three member affiliates: Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital–Milton, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital–Needham and Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital–Plymouth. BIDMC also has a number of important clinical affiliates including Anna Jaques Hospital, Cambridge Health Alliance, Lawrence General Hospital, Signature Healthcare and Atrius Health. BIDMC is also clinically affiliated with the Joslin Diabetes Center and Hebrew Rehabilitation Center, and is a research partner of Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and The Jackson Laboratory. BIDMC is the official hospital of the Boston Red Sox. For more information, visit www.bidmc.org.
About MetroWest Medical Center
MetroWest Medical Center is the largest community health care system between Worcester and Boston. It provides comprehensive acute care services in two locations: Leonard Morse in Natick and Framingham Union in Framingham. MWMC is committed to meeting the health care needs of the area residents by providing advanced medicine and personalized care, right in the local community. To learn more visit: www.mwmc.com.
About Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a full strategic, operating and capital partner with BIDMC, embracing the goal of improving patient care, research and teaching programs. HMFP provides services to more than 1,200 Harvard Medical School faculty members. These services include benefits management, payroll, comprehensive financial and accounting services, compliance training and oversight, business/project development, and revenue cycle analysis and tracking.
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