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MRMC earns consecutive “A” for Patient Safety

Milford Regional Medical Center has been nationally recognized for the sixth time in a row with an “A” for the

Spring 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade. The distinction recognizes Milford Regional’s achievements in protecting patients from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections. The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization committed to health care quality and safety. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” or “F” grade to all general hospitals across the country and is updated every six months. It is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospitals’ prevention of medical errors and other harms to

patients in their care. “To be nationally recognized for our commitment to patient safety for the sixth consecutive time is an extraordi-

nary honor,” says Edward J. Kelly, president and CEO of Milford Regional. “Patient safety has remained our top priority, even as we navigate the challenges created by the pandemic. This continued achievement is due to the

hard work and diligence of our entire staff who are dedicated to providing the highest quality care to our community.” “An ‘A’ safety grade is an elite designation that your community should be proud of,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “The past year has been extraordinarily difficult for hospitals, but Milford Regional Medical Center shows us it is possible to keep a laser focus on patients and their safety, no matter what it takes.” Developed under the guidance of a national expert panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses up to 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,700 U.S. acute-care hospitals twice per year. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public. To see Milford Regional’s full grade details and access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit hospitalsafetygrade.org. ABOUT THE LEAPFROG GROUP

Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward in the quality and safety of American health care. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog’s other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections. State Representative Michael J. Soter (R-Bellingham) recently supported legislation that will provide additional financial relief to Massachusetts busi-

nesses facing huge pandemic-related increases in their unemployment insurance bills.

Due to the record-breaking number of unemployment claims filed during the COVID-19 state of emergency, which prompted a statutorily-mandated increase in the formula used to calculate

an employer’s experience rating, the annual unemployment insurance solvency fund assessment jumped from 0.58% to 9.23% for 2021, representing a staggering 1591% increase in just one

year. Representative Soter said compromise language drafted by the BakerPolito Administration will mitigate the UI rate increase by spreading the costs over a 20-year period, effectively reducing the assessment for businesses from 9.23% to 1.12%. The compromise was unanimously approved by the House of Representatives on a 157-0 vote on May 18th, but still requires Senate approval. Under the compromise plan, a new COVID claims account will be set up to handle existing COVID claims that had been placed in the solvency account. The Department of Unemployment Assistance will recalculate first-quarter UI bills to reflect these changes, with payment on these bills due by July 31st. Beginning August 1st, new UI claims will be charged directly to employers’ accounts.

The House and Senate had previously moved the due date for first-quarter bills from April 30th to June 1st. Representative Soter noted that employers who have already paid their first-quarter bills will receive a credit. Representative Soter was one of 53 legislators who wrote to Governor Charlie Baker and House and Senate

leadership on April 14th urging immediate steps be taken to protect employers from the solvency assessment increase and calling for the use of federal funding to replenish the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. The compromise language approved by the House does not require the use of federal funding, although Representative Soter noted that this issue could

be revisited at a later date. In closing Representative Soter made a strong point that we should have never penalized and created much red tape for these small business owners who kept our economy running during a very difficult time in our country and Commonwealth. I was very happy to see that we started to focus on fixing this problem that needed to be addressed many months ago. Before voting on the compromise UI plan, the House also rejected a pro-

posed amendment filed by Governor Baker that would have excluded

municipal employees from qualifying for the COVID-related paid sick leave program approved by the House and Senate in March. That bill also provided assistance to small businesses by freezing the UI rate at Schedule E for calendar years 2021 and 2022 and exempting forgiven federal Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loans from being subject to the state income tax. The UI solvency fund assessment compromise language now moves to the Senate for its consideration.

Rep. Soter supports bill to provide unemployment insurance rate relief

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Discuss Financial Goals With Your Family

June is Effective

Communications

Month. And it’s a

good idea to recognize the importance of good communications

because it plays a role in almost every aspect of living –including your finances. You’ll want to clearly communicate your financial goals to your loved ones, and you’ll want to hear theirs, too. Let’s look at some of the communications you might have with family members:

• Your spouse – You and your spouse may have different thoughts about a range of financial topics – how much to save, how much to spend, the level of debt with which you’re comfortable and so on. Try to reach some type of consensus on these issues. However, in regard to investing, you don’t necessarily have to act in unison all the time. You each may have different investment styles, one of you may be more aggressive, willing to take on more risk in exchange for potentially higher returns, while the other would rather invest with an eye toward mitigating risk, even it means accepting a lower return. Of course, there’s nothing stopping each of you from pursuing your individual investment strategies in your own accounts – IRA, 401(k) and so on. Still, if you are going to work toward common goals especially toward a shared vision of your retirement lifestyle – you each may want to compromise in your investment choices. And this accommodation is even more

necessary in your joint accounts. • Your parents – If you may someday be involved with your parents’ financial plans which is highly likely you should know in advance what to expect. This may not be the easiest conversation to have, but it’s an important one. So, for example, ask your parents if they have a durable power of attorney, which allows them to designate someone to manage their financial affairs if they become physically or mentally incapacitated. You might also inquire if they have protected themselves against the potentially enormous costs of longterm care, such as an extended nursing home stay. If not, you might suggest that they contact a financial advisor, who can offer solutions. Once you begin communicating about these issues, you may well want to go further into your parents’ estate plans to determine what other arrangements, if any, they have made. If it seems that their plans are not fully developed, you may want to encourage them to contact an attorney specializing in estate planning. • Your grown children – Just as you talk to your parents about their estate plans, you’ll want to discuss the same topic with your own grown children. Let them know who you have named as a durable power of attorney, what’s in your last will and testament and whether you’ve established a living trust. If you’re already working with a financial advisor and an estate planning professional, make sure your children know how to contact these individuals.

Of course, you don’t have to confine your communications to estate plans –if you want to help your children financially, such as loaning them money for a down payment on a home, let them know.

By talking with your loved ones about key financial matters, everyone benefits. So, keep those lines of communication open. This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. Please contact

Darren Parent, your local Edward Jones Advisor at 5 Albert Street, Auburn, MA 01501 Tel: 508-832-5385 or Darren.

parent@edwardjones.com. Edward Jones, Member SIPC

Darren Parent

UniBank Free Home Buying Webinar

UniBank will be hosting a free home buying webinar on Thursday, June 24th, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Join UniBank’s Mortgage Representative, Dave Sampson (NMLS #688948) for this educational opportunity that will provide homebuyers with valuable information about finding and buying the home of their dreams. Important discussion topics include: Negotiating a Winning Offer, Finding the Right

Mortgage and Pre-Qualifying, Down Payment Options, The Importance of Home Inspections, and more. Attendees will be entered for a chance to win a $100 gift card. Sweepstakes to win the gift card is subject to complete official rules which are available at www.unibank.com. To enter, individuals must register and attend the seminar. No purchase or account required to enter or win. All seminar attendees will receive a $500 mortgage closing cost coupon from UniBank.

To register, visit www.unibank.com.

Oncology & Infusion Center Now Open

Reliant Medical Group opened the doors to a new Oncology & Infusion Center within its flagship medical office at 5 Neponset Street in Worcester on May 10, 2021. The newly constructed fourth floor suite will house the group’s oncology and hematology departments, as well as bays for chemotherapy and other infusions. With this initiative, Reliant is relocating its Oncology and Hematology services from the Saint Vincent Wellness & Cancer center, and adding a new chemotherapy service. Reliant previously referred patients to Saint Vincent Hospital for chemotherapy treatment. The new suite will feature modern amenities designed to create a warm and welcoming setting for patients visiting with their oncology and hematology providers and receiving chemotherapy. “Co-locating our cancer care and hematology departments with other Reliant medical services at the Neponset Street office will help us to provide our patients with a more seamless care experience,” explains Brad Switzer, MD, title, Reliant Medical Group. “Providing chemotherapy within Reliant allows us to round out our internal complement of cancer care services.”

“Our new Oncology & Infusion Center is conveniently located for our patients in a medical office many of them are already very familiar with,” notes Tarek Elsawy, MD, president & CEO, Reliant Medical Group. “I’m extremely proud of level of detail our care and design teams have put into the new unit. Our patients will experience the modern and comfortable environment they deserve when receiving treatment that can be challenging. ABOUT RELIANT MEDICAL GROUP

Founded in 1929 and having become a part of Optum in April 2018, Reliant Medical Group serves approximately 317,000 patients, making it the largest independent, ambulatory integrated health system in the Central Massachusetts and Metro West Regions. With over 500 providers and 2,600 employees across more than 20 locations, Reliant Medical Group offers a unique team-based approach to care. Reliant accepts all major forms of health insurance. Founded in 2009.