Catholic Health Connections Newsletter

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News, announcements, and vital information for associates, their families, and friends of Catholic Health.

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Living Our Mission Margaret L. Wendt Family Center

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Miracles & Wonders Through Technology School Health Program is Real Lifesaver

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Foundations of Catholic Health Voice of the Associate Coming Soon

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HR Benefit News Community Education

Fall 2014

Catholic Health Administrative & Regional Training Center Open for Business... and Training Catholic Health celebrated the official blessing and dedication of its new Administrative & Regional Training Center (ARTC) during a special ceremony at the facility on October 2.

Catholic Medical Partners ACO Among Best in Nation Providing efficient, high quality healthcare to Medicare patients is the goal behind the Federal Government’s Shared Savings Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) program. In 2012, Catholic Medical Partners ACO, along with nearly 700 member physicians and Catholic Health, was one of the first 27 organizations in the country chosen to participate in this national health reform initiative. The ACO program encourages doctors, hospitals and other healthcare providers to work together to better coordinate care and keep Medicare recipients healthy rather than treat them when they are sick, which helps to reduce overall healthcare costs. Recently, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued quality and financial performance results for more than 200 ACOs across the country. In its first year in the program, Catholic Medical Partners ACO ranked as one of the best performing in the country, improving care and producing significant cost savings. The Catholic Medical Partners ACO reduced healthcare expenses for its participating Medicare patients by seven percent from the national benchmark, saving more than $27 million, while also demonstrating high levels of quality in such areas as patient safety, care coordination and preventive health. It was the third highest level of savings among all 220 Medicare ACOs across the country. “We have been committed to the principles of accountable, well-coordinated healthcare for many years, long before the establishment of the ACO program,” said Joe McDonald, president and CEO of Catholic Health. “Our culture of collaboration and focus on quality and safety helps ensure that every patient gets the right care in the right place at the right time, and makes us leaders in healthcare transformation locally, regionally, and nationally.” Catholic Health and Catholic Medical Partners attribute their success to a long-standing partnership and shared focus on improving patient care for all patients across the healthcare spectrum. “We are pleased with the results our ACO was able to achieve,” said Dennis R. Horrigan, president & CEO, Catholic Medical Partners. “Everything we do at Catholic Medical Partners and Catholic Health is focused on improving patient care. Our investments in technology, human capital, and best practice medicine are designed to strengthen the clinical office and enhance the coordination of care for all patients.” Pictured above: Dr. David Martinke is one of nearly 700 physicians participating in the Catholic Medical Partners ACO.

The Most Reverend Richard J. Malone, Bishop of Buffalo, presided over the ceremony that included Joe McDonald, president & CEO of Catholic Health; Congressman Brian Higgins; New York State Assembly Member Crystal PeopleStokes; and Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown. “Over the past decade, we have made tremendous strides in clinical excellence through a relentless focus on quality and Joe McDonald was joined by a by investing in number of dignitaries to cut the some of the most ribbon on the Administrative & advanced health- Regional Training Center. care technology available,” said McDonald. “Today’s changing healthcare environment challenges us to go even further – to not only deliver great care, but to do so as efficiently and cost effectively as possible. That challenge is what brings us together in this beautiful new facility.” Nearly 650 Catholic Health associates have relocated to the ARTC from seven different locations across the area. That number will climb to 700 when Catholic Medical Partners moves into the facility next summer. The sav-

ings associated with consolidating from seven locations to one is more than $1.5 million annually. Catholic Health will also partner with a variety of educational institutions and community organizations to offer the resources of its Regional Training Center. “It’s much more than an office building; it’s an environment that promotes innovation and collaboration, and serves as a hub for training and education not only for Catholic Health associates, but the community as well,” McDonald added.

At the heart of the facility, developed by Uniland and designed by Stieglitz Snyder Architecture, is the Catholic Health Chapel, which features elements of stone and wood. The focal point of the new chapel is a beautiful two-story mosaic of the Blessed Mother that was relocated from its original home at the former Nazareth Nursing Home on North Street.

News from Joe McDonald, President & CEO

New ARTC and Mount St. Mary’s Hospital CON Signal Next Steps for the Future of Catholic Health When you work in healthcare, you learn to live with change. Some changes are monumental for our industry, like the Affordable Care Act, while others are more localized, in terms of what they mean for Catholic Health and the people we serve. The opening of our new Administrative & Regional Training Center (ARTC) and the filing of a Certificate of Need (CON) to have Mount St. Mary’s Hospital and Health System join Catholic Health (see article page 3) are two important changes that will help us continue our vision to lead the transformation of healthcare in our community. Both of these changes have been a long journey from where we began. When Catholic Health formed in 1998, we knew we needed to address technology and infrastructure needs throughout our organization. We had aging facilities with outdated medical equip-

ment and information technology that would not support our clinical needs or the industry shift to electronic medical records (EMR). We began this process with a solid plan to invest our dollars in the most advanced clinical and information technology. Our $100 million partnership with Siemens Medical Solutions gave us the medical tools to deliver the highest quality care and the technological resources to deliver that care more efficiently by becoming a national leader in the adoption of electronic medical records. Similarly, we made hundreds of millions of dollars in capital improvements throughout our ministries. This provided our patients with safe, modern and comfortable settings to receive care and our staff with more efficient work spaces to match the caliber of the care they provide. Continued on page 2


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