Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and MetroWest Medical Center Move Forward With New Clinical Affiliation

Massachusetts Health Policy Commission Issues Final Report

BOSTON — Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and MetroWest Medical Center (MWMC) are moving ahead with a new clinical affiliation, after the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission (HPC) today issued its Cost and Market Impact Review Final Report on the proposal.

“We are grateful to the Health Policy Commission for its thorough review,” said Kevin Tabb, MD, President and CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. “We’re very pleased with the HPC’s decision, which reflects our shared commitment to improving access to high-quality, cost-effective care. We look forward to working with MetroWest Medical Center to provide patients the best care in the right location through an integrated health system.”

“MetroWest Medical Center’s mission is to deliver excellent care to our patients close to home,” said Barbara Doyle, RN, CEO of MetroWest Medical Center. “We appreciate this comprehensive review by the Health Policy Commission and are delighted that we will be able to offer expanded services and specialties to our patients in cooperation with one of the nation’s leading academic medical centers.”

MWMC, which includes Framingham Union Hospital and Leonard Morse Hospital in Natick, will remain an independent organization with its own community board and local governance.

BIDMC, MWMC and Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians – the physician group at BIDMC, which has more than 1,200 Harvard Medical School faculty members – will work together to enhance the range of services offered west of Boston, including primary care, oncology, surgery, and obstetrics and gynecology. BIDMC and MWMC will also link medical record systems, facilitating access for all providers involved in a patient’s care across locations.

MetroWest Medical Center will also join the Beth Israel Deaconess Care Organization (BIDCO), an Accountable Care Organization that offers physician and hospital members the structure to contract, share risk and build care management systems together, with the goal of providing high-quality care in the most cost-efficient way.

“I’m very pleased that the Health Policy Commission’s Cost and Market Impact Review found that MetroWest Medical Center joining the BIDCO network has the potential to improve health care delivery, access and quality in the community,” said Jeffrey Hulburt, President and CEO of BIDCO. “The report highlights BIDCO’s commitment to improving health care quality and lowering costs by keeping patients healthy and increasing access to high-quality, community-based health care.”