MDNews - Greater Boston

The University of Dayton and Xavier University graduate says growing the number of patients the Milton hospital serves is an important objective because of the changes sweeping through the U.S. healthcare industry. "Healthcare economics are going to be driven more by 'covered lives' versus feefor-service," Healy says. "You want to have bigger numbers to spread that risk." The hospital's service area includes primary care affiliates in Braintree, Canton, Dorchester, Hyde Park, Milton, Quincy and Randolph. While the partnership with BIDMC gives Milton-area residents easy access to one of the top academic medical centers in Boston, Healy says the vision for the Milton hospital is to provide as much high-quality care as possible at the local level. "We have the ability to provide a very good customer experience with high-quality care," he says. "We're trying to be sensitive to what can be done cost-effectively at the hospital and at doctors' offices and at Beth Israel Deaconess." Healy, who served in executive roles at Faulkner Hospital during its affiliation with Partners Healthcare and Brigham and Women's Hospital, says maintaining a focus on providing access to high-quality care at the local level cuts costs and benefits patients with convenient services. "It is the right care model," he says. "It's more appropriate for patients to access their care locally. If you can't get access, then that becomes a quality issue." Keeping an appropriate range of medical services, such as primary care, geriatrics and wellness programs, at the local level has undeniable cost advantages, Healy adds. "Better care, better quality and better costs are the right things to do for the patient population," he says. "We are low-cost. Milton has historically been on the low end of the pricing spectrum. We're lean in the best sense of the word." The BIDMC partnership has allowed the Milton hospital to focus on its strengths at the local level — an essential element of containing costs while maintaining quality, Healy notes. "When an institution is focused on what it does best, high quality is the result," he says. "It is just better for employers, insurers and individuals to have services provided in the best cost environment." Healy says one of his top personal goals at BID-Milton is to apply his experience of working at the intersection of a community hospital and an academic medical center. "You need to use the corporate relationship to bring the best products to the community," he says. "That creates opportunities for the organization, and we need to manage that to make it work for all parties." Healy says there are already several examples of programs and services offered at the Milton hospital that are a direct result of the partnership with BIDMC, including a world-class geriatric program. Having partners is critically important in the emerging healthcare marketplace, Healy says. "Private primary care almost doesn't exist anymore," he says. "It has to be subsidized by someone." He says having a strong partner such as BIDMC brings several financial benefits to Milton's community hospital. "We now have the organizational backing to make investments," Healy says, noting an ongoing effort to offer a wider range of specialty care, technology upgrades a nd enha ncements to facilities a nd medical programs. The partnership with BIDMC has also lowered purchasing costs. "We have been able to save considerable money with the purchasing power," he says. As he looks to the future, Healy is guided by the past, noting the healthcare marketplace in Massachusetts has been "consolidating" over the past 20 years. "In the future market, being part of a strong system is going to be a big component of success," he says. "It's very difficult to find a community hospital now that doesn't have an affiliation with a larger parent organization." Healy, who served as a professional services executive at Boston Medical Center for eight years before becoming Chief Executive Officer at BID-Milton last year, says Greater Boston will likely have three to five dominant healthcare players when the consolidation process reaches maturity. "At the end of the day, there are going to be just a few systems," he says of the regional marketplace, noting BIDMC is a valuable partner because of its strong clinical capabilities, regional focus and good cost structure. "We have to have the ability to leverage the system." I The CEO Edition I MD NEWS Greater Boston | 11

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