Worcester Business Journal

www.wbjournal.com • Worcester Business Journal • 2 018 Economic Forecast 25 Health problems T his month, a rankings report published by the United Health Foundation, dubbed Massachusetts as America's overall healthiest state. Advantages include a low uninsurance rate, a low obesity rate and a relatively high number of mental health providers. As the ranking notes, challenges remain. There are pockets of under- served people who don't have good access to providers, as well as a high rate of drug overdose deaths and too many preventable hospitalizations. These strengths and challenges will continue to drive the constant evolution UMass Memorial unleashes $650M electronic system H ospitals and outpatient offices owned by UMass Memorial Health Care reap the benefits of being associat- ed with a large healthcare system, but access to state-of-the-art electronic medical records was not one of them. The system has been recording and accessing patient information using well over 100 software programs, and sharing information between depart- ments has often been difficult, or impossible. "I'm kind of am starting with a blank slate, and it frustrates a lot of patients that we don't know anything about them when they've gotten their care throughout the UMass system," said John Palmgren, a long-time registered nurse in the emergency room of UMass Memorial Marlborough Hospital, one of the system's three hospitals. Palmgren's comments came as he was busy training coworkers on the sys- tem's new Epic software platform, an electronic medical records solution bringing previously disjointed patient records under one system. The new Epic system went live Oct. 1, the date UMass Memorial executives have been preparing for over the last Top health care stories of 2017 Continued on Page 26 Growing pains will continue for the healthiest state in 2018 H E A LT H C A R E BY EMILY MICUCCI Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer of the the healthcare landscape in Central Massachusetts in the year ahead. Here's what to expect. More consolidation Merger and acqui- sition activity in the healthcare industry has boomed across the U.S. in the last several years, and Massachusetts has been host to a num- ber of those deals, some of which are still unfolding. This year, Reliant Medical Group and UnitedHealth Group subsidiary Optum agreed to merge in 2018, and a Tennessee company is planning to acquire AdCare Hospital of Worcester. On Oct. 1, HealthAlliance Hospital in Leominster and Clinton Hospital, both owned by the UMass Memorial Health Care system, merged. These deals won't be the last, as local providers look for larger partners with the means to innovate, or to strengthen their position by linking up with local competitors. Volume shifts With the creation accountable care organizations in the Massachusetts Medicaid program in 2018, MassHealth patients will receive their care within narrow networks of pro- viders, for both primary and specialty care. Because UMass Memorial Health Care, the dominant provider in Central Massachusetts, is not partici- pating, they could lose some Medicaid patients. Legislative shakeup Legislative efforts could set new precedents for local health care. Nurses are advocating for mandated nurse-to- patient staffing ratios in acute-care hospitals in a 2018 ballot campaign, and lawmakers are reviewing a bill that would legalize physician-assisted sui- cide. Meanwhile, new regulations for homecare providers, and creation of a new class of dental providers to expand access to care are under review. Providers like Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer participating in the Massachusetts ACO program are expected to see more patient volume. Tarek Elsawy, CEO of Reliant Medical Group, which is set to be acquired by global health company Optum in 2018. The Massachusetts legislature is expected to examine regulations in order to increase access to dentists. UMass Memorial personnel trained on the new Epic system in September, in anticipation of the electronic system's launch in October. Jake Nichols overcame addiction and today advises insurers and doctors about treatment. Despite its many healthcare advantages, one of the major problems of the Massachusetts industry is opioid addiction. W

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