Dear Colleagues:

At the end of September, Brigham and Women’s Hospital closed the books on one of its strongest operating performances in recent memory. Thanks to your good efforts and exceptional dedication, BWH continues to be a hospital of choice for patients throughout the region and throughout the world.

In 2002, BWH reassumed its rightful place among the nation’s top ten hospitals as ranked by U.S. News and World Report. Our relationship with Faulkner Hospital continued to blossom and pay dividends for both institutions and we cultivated a new affiliation with Cape Cod Hospital related to cardiac surgery. Our research enterprise is robust and our training program remains a national leader. We have accomplished this while we have strengthened our deeply rooted commitment to the community.

As we move into the New Year, the health care environment continues to exist in a perpetual state of change. We continue to fight in Boston and Washington for fair and appropriate compensation for our physicians and the hospital. We seek to restore Indirect Medical Education (IME) funding compromised by the Balanced Budget Act Amendments and we seek Medicaid reimbursements that cover the cost of the care that we provide. We are working with other hospitals and public health organizations throughout Massachusetts to reform and stabilize the uncompensated care pool.

The challenges will continue in the coming years as we seek to renegotiate contracts with our major payers and the demand for the care we provide continues to rise. Through it all I remain confident that we are on the right path, bolstered by an exceptional history and buoyed by a league of talent that will usher us into a new era of health care.

Sincerely,

Andy Whittemore, MD
Chief Medical Officer