Health

12 HE ALTH • Summer 2022 Heywood has two hospitals in its system, its main facility in Gardner with 134 beds and Athol Hospital with 25 beds. In addition, Heywood Health operates Heywood Medical Group, the 86-bed Quabbin Retreat for mental health and substance abuse recovery in Petersham. If the affiliation proposal succeeds, Heywood would join the UMass Memorial System, with its largest facility the UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester with 842 beds. "It's a tough time in health care, but particularly if you're an independent stand-alone hospital," said Brown. "Heywood, to their credit, realized they could benefit from partnering with a system like UMass. One of the many benefits is increased access to cutting-edge academic resources, research, and recruitment. Patients will have better access to our specialists and world-renowned researchers." UMass Memorial Health, which has $2.9 billion in annual revenue, looks to bolster the available healthcare services in the region. Heywood, which has $150 million in annual revenue, would have increased access to capital resources for technology investments, medical equipment, and improved facilities. Using better technology One of the major innovations in healthcare during the pandemic is how patient health records are stored and accessed. EPIC Health Patient Portal, the main electronic medical records system used by UMass Memorial Health, allows patients to monitor and manage health information and see their health charts 24/7 from any computer, smartphone, or tablet. "EPIC is an expensive platform to implement, so a lot of hospitals can't afford it," said Brown of the $700 million UMass spent on the new system. "But it has the ability to really reduce costs. By Stephen Underwood C OVID-19 continues to shape the healthcare landscape across Central Massachusetts, as hospitals grapple with soaring costs and staffing shortages. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the national healthcare sector has lost nearly half a million workers since February 2020. In addition, according to Washington, D.C. data group Morning Consult, 18% of healthcare workers have quit since the pandemic began, while 12% have been laid off. Furthermore, a 2021 poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation in California said about 3 in 10 healthcare workers considered leaving their profession, and about 6 in 10 said pandemic- related stress had harmed their mental health. Shortages have only worsened during the latest COVID surge, as healthcare workers themselves catch the virus and have to quarantine for several days. At larger hospital systems, hundreds of workers could be affected at a time. These challenges are hitting hospitals at a time when operating costs are rising exponentially. According to the American Hospital Association between 2019 and 2021, labor expenses per patient rose 19.1%. Supply costs rose 21% per patient overall, with median drug costs up 37% per patient, and intensive care unit supply costs up 32%. "The healthcare market is incredibly unforgiving right now," said Doug Brown, chief administrative officer of UMass Memorial Health in Worcester and president of its community hospitals. "We're coming out of our fourth phase of COVID-19, and we're no longer getting federal or state reimbursements. In addition, most hospitals in the country are underwater financially and have had to either shut down services or cut staff." A Central Mass. merger UMass Memorial Health, the largest healthcare system in Central Massachusetts, in May signed a non-binding letter of intent to explore affiliation options with Heywood Healthcare and its facilities in North Central Massachusetts. Less hospital competition Fewer medical centers in Central Mass. are competing directly anymore, as COVID-19 accelerated the push to finding improvements through mergers Winfield Brown, president & CEO of Heywood Healthcare UMass Science Park in Worcester includes the University Campus of UMass Memorial Medical Center.

• Cover