Letter from the BWPO Chairman
Dear Colleagues:
During the last four years as chairman of the Brigham and Women’s Physicians Organization, I have had a wonderful vantage from which to witness tremendous growth in our network, meaningful advances in physician work-life balance and measurable improvements to both the quality and safety of patient care. My term has come to an end, and I’m proud to hand over the PO chairmanship to Robert Barbieri, MD, chairman of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Biology.
After a period of transition, we have a vibrant leadership team in place to guide the BWPO in meeting the challenges facing our economy, increased scrutiny of health care spending and a growing demand for transparency of quality data. With Allen Smith, MD, MS, who took over as PO president in August 2007, and Jessica Dudley, MD, who succeeded Allen as the PO’s chief medical officer, we have strong clinical leaders in place who are well respected by our network of referring physicians and leaders at affiliate organizations. Bill Johnston, our chief financial officer, completes our executive team and plays an invaluable role in leading the PO’s finances and business operations.
The PO, as we know it, formed in 2001 with the merger of seven academic departments, and now we have 17 departments, and our total gross patient service revenue is approaching $1 billion. Geographically, we have seen our membership and referring network grow with partnerships and clinical affiliations with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, South Shore Hospital, Cape Cod Hospital and several physician groups, and early next year, our ambulatory care center will come online at Patriot Place in Foxborough.
Truly, it has been an honor to serve as the second chair of the Board of Trustees, following our first chair, Dr. Larry Cohn. Our trustees, leaders and all of our members and staff share the same dedication and commitment to excellence and innovation in clinical care, medical education and research.
Sincerely,
Steven Seltzer, MD
Chairman, BWPO