Partners-Wide Cardiac Service Line
Partners is developing a more systematic approach to cardiac services as a whole with the cardiac service line, one of a number of system integration initiatives currently underway. "We want to build on what is already in place," said Ann Prestipino, MGH vice president for Surgical and Anesthesia Services, "both in terms of the excellence of our clinical efforts and Partners' existing organizational structure for cardiac services." Prestipino is co-chair of the Partners service line effort with Lawrence Cohn, MD, BWH chief of Cardiac Surgery. Its charge is to define and recommend “the best way to grow cardiac services across the system,” she said. Cohn added: “The ultimate goal is to integrate care and improve efficiency and, in doing so, to bring new patients into the system. We anticipate that improving care and reducing costs also will increase the cardiac program’s attractiveness to outside physicians and will increase referrals.”
The service line group expects to complete the committee process and present its plan in June. In addition to the central work group, four subcommittees comprised of more than 50 physicians from throughout the system focus on various aspects of the plan: marketing, contracting, quality measurement, information systems, operational efficiencies, and DRG analysis. By coordinating these business practices across Partners while maintaining institutional autonomy, the Partners Cardiac Care Service Line will provide the highest quality of care and keep costs down.