Tufts Medical Center, Lowell General Hospital to Form New Health Care System

Tufts Medical Center and Lowell General Hospital announced plans to form a new health system.

According to a release, the new system, designed as an alternative model, will foster collaboration between and among community-based and academic medical providers to effectively identify patient needs and manage the health of the communities they serve.

Tufts Medical Center reported that the organizations will align with a new parent company, led by Normand Deschene as Chief Executive Officer and Ellen Zane as Chairperson. Tufts MC, Lowell General and their physician groups will maintain local governance but will partner to create the scale needed to capitalize on population data management, efficiencies of group purchasing and the development of services while assuring autonomy. The organizations will have equal representation on the parent company board.

"We believe in keeping physicians close to patients and removing the barriers that stand in the way of patients receiving care at the right time in the most appropriate setting, conveniently and affordably," said Deschene, CEO of Lowell General Hospital. "This partnership with Tufts Medical Center will do just that. The new system will allow us to build and strengthen connections, remove obstacles and ultimately ensure that patients are navigating a far less complex healthcare experience."

Additionally, the new system will unite organizations who share a demonstrated approach to health care services and an established set of population health management practices and programs - a crucial aspect of the Affordable Care Act environment.

"Our partnership will be the first of its kind in Massachusetts," said Zane, Vice Chair of the Tufts MC Board of Trustees. "This system is not being formed by one entity taking over another, with the academic medical center as the hub of the universe. What we are creating is a 'round table,' if you will, predicated on our commitment to managing the health and well-being of the communities we serve. This system we are forming with Lowell General Hospital is powerful both on its own, and as an alternative for other community providers and regional physician groups who share our vision and values."

The new system will leverage population health data and services already available through the Lowell General Hospital and New England Quality Care Alliance (NEQCA), a network of 1,800 physicians affiliated with Tufts Medical Center. This will support a cost- efficient and optimally effective approach to population health management, a method by which hospitals, doctors and other health care providers work together to improve patients' health rather than simply treat episodes of disease. It is a critical component of health care reform. NEQCA and Lowell General Hospital have had significant success and are regarded in this area.

Tufts Medical Center is not-for-profit, 415-bed academic medical center that is home to both a full-service hospital for adults and Floating Hospital for Children. Tufts Medical Center is affiliated with the New England Quality Care Alliance, a network of nearly 1,800 physicians throughout Eastern Massachusetts.

Lowell General Hospital is an independent, not-for-profit, community hospital serving the Greater Lowell area and surrounding communities.

More information:

www.tuftsmedicalcenter.org

www.neqca.org

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