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At a Dec. 1993 press conference announcing the plan, then-BWH President Richard Nesson, MD, said the merger was about "how we can better serve the community and serve our mission."On March 18, 1994, Partners HealthCare was born, the realization of an agreement between BWH and Massachusetts General Hospital. The vision of hospital leaders was to build an integrated health care system that would excel in patient care, teaching, research and community service.
Since then, the Partners system has expanded and now includes more than a dozen acute, non-acute and specialty hospitals, community physicians, partnerships with many community health centers, and a managed care organization offering affordable care to the underserved.
Over the years, Partners has undertaken a number of broad, multi-year initiatives that leverage collaboration in support of this vision. Among them are:
Pledging to find $300 million in operational efficiencies and cost savings across the organization to support patient affordability
Participating as an Accountable Care Organization aimed at improving care while reducing costs through better coordination and reorganizing the way care is delivered for the most complex patients
Affiliating with Neighborhood Health Plan to improve access to community-based care-particularly for underserved patients-to coordinate care more effectively and provide it more affordably
Investing in a single electronic health record-Partners eCare-that will ensure that providers have all the information they need to provide the very best patient care
"After 20 years, our vision is as clear and focused as ever," said Partners President and CEO Gary Gottlieb, MD, MBA. "Our commitment to our mission, our patients and the communities we serve is paramount. We embrace our role as a leader in delivering the highest-quality care that is affordable and accessible for those we serve-today, tomorrow and for generations to come."