The Boards of Trustees of Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital and the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic have approved the formation of an integrated health system designed to efficiently coordinate resources, expand access to the specialized services and research available at New Hampshire’s only academic medical center, and enhance the value and quality of care in communities throughout New Hampshire and eastern Vermont.
This new system will be known as Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health and will initially be comprised of Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital and the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic, which includes community-based physician group practices in Concord, Keene, Manchester and Nashua. Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health will be led by Tom Colacchio, M.D., who will remain as President of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic until a successor is named.
"These are new times, with new demands, and we plan to integrate research, education and the delivery of health care to provide each person in our region the best care, in the right place, at the right time, every time" said Colacchio. "The vision of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health is to achieve the healthiest population possible, to lead the transformation of health care in our region and to set the standard for our nation."
The creation of this integrated system will allow Dartmouth-Hitchcock to strategically partner with other health service providers in the region to achieve its mission of improving population health within our region, while avoiding costly and redundant competition. A collaborative approach will mean a greater likelihood of improving health across the region and increased value for the health care consumer through the integration of services across the full cycle of care.
"This approach is at the heart of the national health care debate and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health can become a model for the nation on health care reform," Colacchio added. "Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health is an important next step in our efforts to improve convenient access to high quality care in the region and to address unmet health needs in communities throughout New Hampshire and eastern Vermont. We will take a unique approach that is built around our mission, vision and goals, to carefully organize services and measure effectiveness to deliver the best care possible, without redundancy and waste."
The new system also promises to extend the reach of the world-class research conducted at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, Dartmouth Medical School and The Dartmouth Institute. In addition to the prospect of medical breakthroughs from clinical trials, the system will be a leader in implementing many of the health care delivery initiatives that are driving the national health care reform debate.
One such example is Dartmouth-Hitchcock’s participation in an innovative, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)-sponsored Physician Group Practice (PGP) Demonstration. Along with nine other physician groups participating, Dartmouth-Hitchcock was able to make significant quality gains for patients with certain chronic conditions, while generating substantial savings for the Medicare program over a two-year period.
Colacchio said the advent of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health is a natural outgrowth of Dartmouth-Hitchcock’s history of successful collaborations throughout the region that have helped to improve the quality of care to the patients it serves and that helps them achieve greater value for their health care dollars.
One such example is the New England Alliance for Health (formerly the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Alliance) which has helped member organizations achieve substantial cost savings through shared purchasing, regional planning, insurance and other collaborative endeavors.
Under the new system, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health will serve as a holding company that allows for significant flexibility and allows for the integration of a number of closely related but distinct entities, each conforming to the system requirements, but each retaining its individual identity and traditions.
"Nationally recognized research from the The Dartmouth Institute shows that the most effective, efficient, and appropriate care is delivered by systems such as Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health," said Colacchio. "High-value integrated systems not only lead to reduced costs, they also, most importantly, provide better care for patients."