Southcoast ranks in magazine's list of nation's best-performing health networks
"Smoothly run networks manage to merge technology, blend administration, reduce waste in hospital operations and build strong based of services."
— Modern Healthcare
| For Immediate Release | Contact: Joyce Faria Brennan |
| February 9, 2005 | 508-961-5270 |
| brennanj@southcoast.org | |
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NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — Southcoast Health System has been listed among the top 100 best-performing health networks in the United States by Modern Healthcare magazine.
Modern Healthcare, in its January 31 issue, debuts Southcoast Health System at No. 75 among the "2005 Integrated Health Care Networks (IHN) 100: Experts at integration." The report said each health system is ranked on "critical success factors" such as the clinical and financial performance of services and access to care, hospital utilization, physicians, contractual capabilities and technology and administrative services.
Verispan, an independent research firm in Yardley, Penn., provided the data, which identifies the best-performing health care networks among the nation's 566 health systems.
Southcoast was one of only five New England networks to make the list. Yale New Haven Health System in Conn., was ranked 47, Baystate Health System in Springfield, Mass., was ranked 62, Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Mass., was ranked 80 and Cambridge Health Alliance in Cambridge, Mass., was ranked 81.
John B. Day, President & CEO, Southcoast Health System, attributed Southcoast's overall success to the 1996 merger that brought together Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, St. Luke's Hospital in New Bedford and Tobey Hospital in Wareham and their associated health networks.
Unlike many mergers that took place in the mid-1990s, Southcoast not only did a full asset merger of its parent corporation but also did a full asset merger of its hospital subsidiaries. The three Southcoast Hospitals now operate under one hospital license with one board of trustees, one management team and one corporation, which eliminates duplication of services, administrative personnel and reduces costs significantly.
"Southcoast created an infrastructure that allows us to be very flexible and adaptable to the health care environment," Day said. "We have concentrated on building a solid foundation for our organization by eliminating duplication of overhead and by consolidating administrative functions and support staff across our system. This model means we manage by function, not by site. Southcoast has also invested heavily in new facilities and technology, which enables us to provide high-quality and cost-effective health services that continue to meet the needs of the communities we serve."
Southcoast Hospitals Group President Ronald Goodspeed, MD, MPH, said another factor that may influence Southcoast's success is its regional base and steadfast dedication to quality initiatives and clinical best practices.
"Some health care networks that were formed in the mid-1990s can be burdened by a more complex organizational structure and higher expenses," Dr. Goodspeed said. "Southcoast is able to compete in an increasingly competitive marketplace and offer the highest quality service right here in our own community with a simple organizational structure that lowers overhead. This philosophy coupled with Southcoast's long standing commitment to organization-wide quality initiatives and clinical best practices has positioned us for positive growth and expansion."
For a complete list of Modern Healthcare's IHN 100: Experts at integration visit: http://www.modernhealthcare.com/chart.cms?id=364&type=surveys
About Southcoast
Southcoast Health System, a not-for-profit charitable organization, is a community based health delivery system with multiple access points, offering an integrated continuum of health services throughout Southeastern Massachusetts and East Bay, Rhode Island. It includes Southcoast Hospitals Group, formed in 1996 from the merger of Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, St. Luke's Hospital in New Bedford and Tobey Hospital in Wareham.
Southcoast is one of three community hospitals approved by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to perform open heart surgery and primary angioplasty beginning in Spring 2002.
Media Contact
Joyce Faria Brennan
Phone: 508-961-5270
Pager: 508-387-9605
Fax: 508-961-5876
brennanj@southcoast.org
