Worcester Business Journal

www.wbjournal.com • Worcester Business Journal • 2016 Central Mass By The Numbers 31 WE HELP with the physical, emotional, social and financial challenges that come WITH AUTISM Our free referral services can help your employees who are raising children with autism. Learn how at autismresourcecentral.org 71 Sterling Street West Boylston, MA 01583 Health Care T he Milford Regional Medical Center prides itself on its intimate knowledge of its community's healthcare needs. That's what led to the opening of the $54-million, 78,000-square-foot Meehan Family Pavilion – an extension of its emergency department and the hospital's largest expansion to date. Though expansion was the main contributor to the hospital's pro- jected loss of $9 million this year, the hos- pital insists growth is still its strategy for success moving forward. President and CEO Edward Kelly spoke about the hospital's expansion and its pri- orities going forward. In the healthcare field, independent hospitals are becoming more and more rare. Why stay independent? As an independent, community hospi- tal, we are governed by a board of trust- ees whose members reside within the communities we serve and represent the best interests of our patients. Under their governance and through the feedback of our physicians both in and outside the hospital as well as residents in the com- munity, we are able to make decisions and determine our own path. In addition, our geography which places us between Worcester and Boston has allowed us to develop strong collab- orations with excellent healthcare facili- ties in both locations to provide tertiary care. Ultimately, we believe that our close relationship with the communities we serve has helped us to better under- stand and provide the healthcare servic- es they need. Time and time again we have witnessed the incredible support of community members that consider us "their hospital." It is because of all these fine people and the partnerships estab- lished with tertiary care centers that we have been successful. What led to the hospital's $9-million loss this year, and what is being done to rectify the situation? The hospital's $9-million loss this past year was due largely to growing pains related to expansion. Though we were busier than the previous year, our vol- ume was not at the level we hoped for to cover our expenses. Besides reducing operational expenses, our strategy for success has always been based upon growth, and it continues to be our strate- gy moving forward. Just recently, we opened an urgent care center in Hopkinton and have plans to open one in Northbridge as well as Milford. Where are you in the transition towards reimbursements based on health outcomes? What percentage of your insurance contracts are risk- based? We are currently researching what is involved in making the transition toward reimbursements based on health outcomes. Concerning our insurance contracts, none of them are risk-based; however, several of them have reim- bursements tied to quality performance metrics. You recently opened the Meehan Family Pavilion. How did this enhance your offerings? The decision to build this addition came out of the necessity to address an overly congested emergency department and outdated intensive care unit. Our new emergency department has doubled the footprint of the old space and pro- vides greater privacy and comfort for our patients with 50 private exam rooms and the latest in diagnostic equipment. The spacious, new ICU rooms have booms that accommodate the full array of state-of-the-art technologies needed in this setting while also providing a family friendly design that includes a couch that converts into a bed and out- lets to plug in a phone or computer. Plus, the addition of 24 private patient rooms brings Milford one step closer to provid- ing private rooms for all our patients. You recently received a distinction for your treatment of infants with neona- tal abstinence syndrome. What is unique about the care you provide? We at Milford Regional have always prided ourselves in seeking new and bet- ter ways to serve the healthcare needs of all our patients. In this case, we felt it was our responsibility to participate in a national multi-center quality improve- ment collaborative to improve the quali- ty, safety and value of care for substance- exposed infants and their families. This program encourages inpatient family recovery and we are very pleased with outcomes thus far. I would say that the introduction of the Snuggle Squad, a group of highly- trained volunteers that provide support to moms in comforting and soothing the infants in this program adds uniqueness to the service that exemplifies the com- passionate care [we are] known for. This interview was conducted and edited for length and clarity by Laura Finaldi, WBJ staff writer. Amid losses, Milford Regional Hospital focuses on strong community base W

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