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In This Issue:
Touting a new type of relationship that carried the promise of providing exceptional care in both a community and academic medical center setting, the affiliation of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Faulkner Hospital was announced in 1998 with great fanfare. Now, as the affiliation marks its fifth year, that promise has been met and new opportunities for enhancing innovative approaches to patient care continue to emerge. Looking back over the last five years, many of the key elements of the successful partnership can be identified, while others are perhaps less tangible but just as important.Built upon the premise that both institutions would greatly benefit from a strategic partnership to provide greater access to care, leadership at both institutions identified clear opportunities for growth and expansion. As integrated training programs evolved, capacity expanded, and new patient care centers related to orthopedics, cardiology, dialysis, cancer care, primary care, surgery and mental health blossomed, the full potential of the partnership began to be realized.Critical partnerships with Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and referring physicians led to significant increases in inpatient volume, outpatient visits and surgical cases. A backfill strategy began to meet expectations just two years after the affiliation and now represents the essence of the BW/F relationship.As the BW/F family continues to evolve, it has provided a sense of stability in an ever-changing health care environment. As we look to the future, the promise of providing more access to exceptional care will continue to define this historic affiliation.