Southcoast case taught at Harvard

Proof of success comes in many forms. For Southcoast, evidence of the system's success is found at Harvard University.

The story of Southcoast's merger is the subject of a two-part Harvard School of Public Health case study where graduate students delve into the circumstances and particulars of the Southcoast merger to learn how successful organizations and businesses operate.

The case study sets out the challenges and obstacles that faced Southcoast's legacy hospitals in 1996 and follows the organization through its successes and achievements today. Each year John B. Day, President & CEO of Southcoast Health System, and Ronald B. Goodspeed, MD, MPH, FACP, FACPE, President of Southcoast Hospitals Group, participate in the teaching of the case on the Harvard campus.

"We had a fundamental desire to make it work," Dr. Goodspeed said about the 1996 merger in the case study. "We expected hurdles — we knew there would be difficulties — but that is not a reason to back away. We took one step at time, taking care of hurdles as they appeared."

The case study is also used in the curriculum of The Academy Fellowship in Washington, D.C., which provides leadership training to emerging health care leaders. Six Southcoast leaders have earned their fellowship through this program.