New President Provides Long-Term Outlook for Partners- BWH Bulletin - For and about the People of Brigham and Women's Hospital
New President Provides Long-Term Outlook for Partners- BWH Bulletin - For and about the People of Brigham and Women's Hospital
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December 27, 2002
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In This Issue:
A Forecast for the Future of Health Care
A Discussion with Gary Gottlieb, MD, MBA, BWH President
Hospitals and Health Care Workers Not Immune to Current Incoming Challenges
New President Provides Long-Term Outlook for Partners
New Leader Sheds Light on MGH’s Upcoming Challenges, Opportunities
The National Face of Health Care
Modern Challenges of Medical Education
As James Mongan, MD, takes over as CEO and President of Partners, he discusses with Bulletin his vision regarding the leading health care provider and employer in Boston.
Characterize the status of Partners HealthCare.
Mongan
: After eight years, Partners is a strong and healthy organization. We have established a stable governance structure, and our finances are stable, although we are still operating in a very fragile economic environment. Most important, we have been able to demonstrate that Partners can add real value to the care of our patients, medical research, and teaching. All that is a testament to everyone at Partners, but especially to Sam Thier’s leadership.
What do you hope to accomplish in the next five years?
Mongan
: I want to see us build on the progress we’ve made so far, particularly in the areas of quality of care and cost of care. We’ve worked hard to make sure our community hospitals are stable so they can care for patients in surrounding communities. We’ve increased care for low-income patients and added new mental health services. We’ve invested in important research in genomics and new medical technologies. We’ve also become more efficient. I think we can build on this foundation to bring even more benefits to our patients.
How will Partners continue to try to change federal and local policy to support BWH, MGH, and all Partners affiliates?
Mongan
: We need to continue making the case to policymakers about the importance of the health care services we provide and the need to make sure we are paid fairly for them. This will particularly be an issue at the state level this year. State Medicaid payments are already well below the cost of care, and the state now faces a serious budget crisis. In addition to using our government relations capabilities to press our case, we all need to demonstrate the importance of what we do for our patients day in and day out.
How do you want Partners to be perceived next year? Five years from now? Byemployees? By patients?
Mongan
: Whether it’s next year or in five years or ten years, I want every employee to think of Partners as the workplace of choice and as an organization that has a strong and fundamental commitment to its societal missions of patient care, medical research and teaching. I want our patients to think of Partners as a great place to get both the highest quality care and the right care in the right place at the right time.
What can Partners HealthCare offer to a large number of employees that other companies can not?
Mongan
: While this is certainly a turbulent time in health care, I think in the years ahead we will also see breathtaking advances in medicine and science. We will certainly face challenges, but the health sector in general, and Partners in particular, offer employees a chance to be part of a very exciting time in medicine. There’s a real opportunity for us to show value to our patients and a large range of work opportunities that allow employees to contribute to that.