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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.

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

Tue, 15 May 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.

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.

“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 site 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.

At Partners HealthCare we take great pride in having world-class facilities and personnel, and we also take great pride in having launched a system-wide initiative to ensure that delivery of care anywhere in the system is uniformly high quality, safe, and cost effective. Partners HealthCare's High Performance Medicine, launched by the late James J. Mongan, MD, former President and CEO of Partners, was designed to specifically address areas where improvement in performance is needed.

We are proud to share our progress with you 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.

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

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The new Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, 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.

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

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."

7th Annual Personalized Medicine Conference: November 9-10

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

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

Date: November 9-10, 2011
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 health care by offering the possibility of improved health outcomes and the potential to make health care more cost-effective.

The seventh annual Personalized Medicine conference will take place November 9-10, 2011 at The Joseph B. Martin Conference Center at Harvard Medical School in Boston. This year's two-day conference will highlight the current clinical impact of personalized medicine as it enters the health care delivery system 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 more than 600 national and international thought leaders.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”