Major Step Towards- BWH Bulletin - For and about the People of Brigham and Women's Hospital
Major Step Towards- BWH Bulletin - For and about the People of Brigham and Women's Hospital
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March 20, 2000
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In This Issue:
Major Step Towards
Ask Yourself: Are You Ready for JCAHO?
BWH Celebrates Social Work Month
Baby Faire to offer information, fun, and prizes
Pike Notes
World-Class care is just down the hall
Kruger to Join BWH
ProTech Students
The first stage in the development of the new Brigham and Women's Physicians Organization (BWPO) has been accomplished. During the month of February, the physician members of the Brigham Foundations for Medicine, Surgery, Anesthesia, Radiology, Pathology, Orthopedics, and Obstetrics and Gynecology voted to approve changes to their Foundation by-laws which implement Stage I, a major step towards the formation of the BWPO. The amendments to the by-laws make Brigham and Women's/Faulkner Hospitals, Inc. (the parent corporation) the sole "Member" of each Foundation. Stage I, which allows the BWPO to perform many of its intended functions prior to the planned merger of the Foundations into the BWPO later this year, passed by a 91% majority vote across the seven foundations (330:32). The necessary regulatory approvals are expected to be received by April of this year. As soon as the regulatory process is completed, Stage I BWPO will provide the legal structure for certain cooperative business relationships between Brigham and Women's physicians and the Massachusetts General Hospital physicians. This new structure allows BWH physicians to join the other economically integrated Partners physicians to negotiate all contracts with third-party payors. A new BWPO Board will soon start meeting and will appoint a Contracts Committee made up of physicians. With the successful approval of Stage I complete, each foundation, along with the BWPO steering committee and the BWPO transition team, will continue to evaluate the possibilities for central legal, accounting/audit, human resources, and information systems.