Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, MetroWest Medical Center Sign Clinical Affiliation Agreement

BOSTON — Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians at BIDMC (HMFP) and MetroWest Medical Center (MWMC) have signed a clinical affiliation agreement that will expand access to clinical services west of Boston and strengthen the organizations’ ability to provide comprehensive and coordinated patient care. The agreement also designates BIDMC and HMFP as MWMC’s clinical affiliate for advanced care, giving patients streamlined access to BIDMC specialists when needed.

“Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is committed to offering patients the best care in the right location through an integrated health care system,” said Kevin Tabb, MD, President and CEO of BIDMC. “This affiliation will bring substantial benefits to patients and families in the western suburbs. MetroWest’s two community hospitals will continue to provide quality care close to home with the capacity of serving patients with more complex needs at our academic medical center in Boston.”

Under the agreement, the organizations will work together to enhance the range of services offered by MWMC, including primary care, oncology, surgery, and obstetrics and gynecology. BIDMC and MWMC will also link medical record systems to allow for viewing of records by all providers involved in a patient’s care regardless of location, achieving a level of clinical cooperation that will provide optimal access to care.

"MetroWest's number one focus is serving its patients within the community,” said Barbara Doyle, MHA, RN, CEO of MWMC. “This new collaboration with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center will allow MetroWest to provide additional services in the local area, further enhancing the care we provide our patients. Additionally, our patients will have greater access to a broad range of specialists through our affiliation with one of the nation's leading academic medical centers."

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

“In this rapidly changing health care environment, we must have systems in place to offer coordinated care for patients across the continuum of care,” said Stuart Rosenberg, MD, President and CEO of HMFP, the physician group at BIDMC, which has more than 1,200 Harvard Medical School faculty members. “This approach to coordinated care is fundamental to our new relationship with MetroWest Medical Center.”

The agreement is subject to review by the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission.