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Barnabas and Robert Wood Johnson Sign Deal to Form Biggest New Jersey Health System Deal on the Table for Morristown? Review Your Contractual Arrangements for Legal Compliance
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Contents Cover Story
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Barnabas and Robert Wood Johnson sign deal to form biggest New Jersey health system CONTENTS
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Medical Director Call to Action: Review Your Contractual Arrangements for Legal Compliance
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Deal on the Table for Morristown
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Hospital Payments to Towns Discussed as Alternative to Property Taxes
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Virtua Sues N.J. to Thwart EMS Takeover by Cooper
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Hackensack Edges Morristown for State’s Top Hospital in Prestigious U.S. News Rankings
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N.J. Providers Earn $2.5M in Bonuses from UnitedHealthcare
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CarePoint Health enters into partnership with Reliance Medical Group
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Children’s Specialized Hospital Pediatric Practice Earns ‘Patient-Centered Medical Home’ Designation
2 New Jersey Physician
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Cover Story
Barnabas and Robert Wood Johnson sign deal to form biggest New Jersey health system By Melanie Evans Barnabas Health and Robert Wood Johnson Health System plan to combine their 11 hospitals to form New Jersey's largest health system. Along with another pending deal, it would consolidate the majority of hospital care in central New Jersey in two health systems. Barnabas, a seven-hospital system based in West Orange, N.J., and Robert Wood Johnson, a New Brunswick, N.J.-based system with four hospitals, have signed an agreement that would create a system with combined annual operating revenue of $4.5 billion and 30,000 employees, the organizations said in a joint news release. Barnabas acquired Jersey City Medical Center in June 2014. The New Jersey hospital market is undergoing a rush of consolidation as hospitals nationwide enter into merger and acquisition deals. The activity is not limited to hospital operators as the nation's largest health insurers have proposed combinations that would create insurance giants. The proposed RWJ Barnabas Health System would have nearly one-third of the central region's market share, according to an analysis by insurance expert Allan Baumgarten. The merger of Hackensack University Health Network and Meridian Health, which reached a definitive agreement in May, would create a nine-hospital system with $3.1 billion in operating revenue and 26.3% of the central New Jersey market. Other deals are pending in New Jersey as well. Geisinger Health System, for example, has an agreement to acquire AtlantiCare. Meridian Health has a deal pending to acquire Raritan Bay Medical Center. The Atlantic Health System in Morristown, N.J., acquired Chilton Hospital in 2014 and has a deal pending for Hackettstown Regional Medical Center. But Barnabas Health CEO Barry Ostrowsky said the frenzy of consolidation isn't what's driving his system to join hands with Robert Wood Johnson. “I don't know that this was a reaction to what's going on,” Ostrowsky said. The size and broader geographic reach, he said, will create new opportunities and help the merged organization manage population health and adapt to new payment models. Those opportunities will not, however, immediately include establishing its own licensed health plan, a strategy an increasing number of large hospital systems are pursuing as they beef up their ability to manage financial risk for patients. “I don't think we necessarily have to have a health plan or a licensed health insurance product provided we build the right partnerships with existing insurance companies,” Ostrowsky said. The deal must win regulatory approval and is expected to close next year. The partners plan to combine their existing accountable care organizations. They also plan to expand services that are more robust at one system. Barnabas Health, for example, has developed its behavioral health services more extensively than the Robert Wood Johnson system, said Stephen Jones, president and CEO of Robert Wood Johnson Health System and its flagship hospital, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. Ostrowsky would serve as president and CEO of the combined system, which would be named RWJ Barnabas Health. Jones would be named chief academic officer of the newly created system.
4 New Jersey Physician
Legal
Medical Director Call to Action: Review Your Contractual Arrangements for Legal Compliance By: John D. Fanburg, Esq. and Lani M. Dornfeld, Esq. Physicians providing services as medical directors recently received a sharp warning and call to action from the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (OIG). In a rare Fraud Alert issued on June 9, the OIG warned physicians to steer clear of the legal pitfalls of these arrangements, and urged the reporting to federal authorities of non-compliant and “no show” agreements. Nine days later, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) publicly announced the largest “coordinated takedown” in history by the Medicare Fraud Strike Force. The nationwide sweep resulted in charges against 243 individuals for approximately $712 million in false billing, with defendants including physicians, patient recruiters, home health care providers, pharmacy owners and others. Together, these public announcements indicate a strong showing by federal agencies that arrangements are being scrutinized for legal compliance. By way of background to the Fraud Alert, the OIG recently entered into a series of settlements with twelve individual physicians who were, according to the OIG, parties to “questionable medical directorship and office staff arrangements.” In particular, the OIG alleged that payments to the physicians under these arrangements took into account the physicians’ volume or value of referrals, did not reflect fair market value for the services to be performed, and that the physicians did not actually provide the services required under the arrangements. As such, the OIG claimed the physicians received improper remuneration under the federal anti-kickback statute. The OIG also alleged the office staffing arrangements entered into by some of the physicians also constituted improper remuneration because the arrangements relieved the physicians of the financial burden they otherwise would have incurred for front office staff. Importantly, the OIG determined that “the physicians were an integral part of the scheme and subject to liability under the Civil Monetary Penalties Law.” The federal anti-kickback statute prohibits the “knowing and willful” solicitation, payment, offer or acceptance of anything of value (“remuneration”), including any kickback, bribe or rebate, to induce or reward referrals or generate federal health care program business. As interpreted by the courts, a compensation arrangement may violate the anti-kickback statute if even one purpose of the arrangement is to compensate a physician for his or her past or future referrals of federal health care program business, even if other legitimate reasons for the arrangement exist. Convicted offenders may be subject to criminal penalties of fines and/or imprisonment up to five years. Federal authorities may also (or in the alternative) impose civil and administrative penalties, including civil monetary penalties, civil assessment of up to three times the amount of the kickback, federal health care program exclusion and federal False Claims Act liability. Because the language of the statute is broad and Congress became concerned that its application might render legitimate health care businesses or transactions illegal, in the late 1980s, Congress ordered the OIG to promulgate “safe harbor” regulations to provide shelter to certain business arrangements that would otherwise violate the broad prohibitions of the law. As a result, starting in 1991, the OIG promulgated a series of safe harbor regulations. Included in the list of safe harbors are employment arrangement and personal services and management contract safe harbors, both of which may be available in medical directorship arrangements. Even though there is no legal requirement to structure each business relationship under a safe harbor, as OIG determinations regarding anti-kickback compliance are made on a case-by-case basis, regulatory protections are afforded only to arrangements that fit “squarely within” the precise elements of the applicable safe harbor. Physicians in medical directorship and other compensation arrangements with hospitals or hospital systems, ambulatory surgery centers, nursing homes, home health agencies and other health care services should engage in a legal compliance review of these arrangements. The compliance review should, at minimum, address the following questions: Are the services to be provided under the arrangement legitimately needed? Is the arrangement set forth in a signed written agreement between the parties? Is the term of the arrangement set forth in the agreement and for a duration of at least one year? Does the agreement set forth in specific detail all of the services to be provided under the arrangement? Are only legitimatelyneeded services included in the arrangement? If the review is of an existing arrangement, have all of the services been provided in strict accordance with the terms of the written agreement? Are time records required? If the review is of an existing arrangement, have the time records been accurately and consistently recorded and provided to the other contracting party? Were the recorded hours true and accurate? Is the rate of compensation consistent with fair market value in an arms length transaction? Did the parties utilize national compensation surveys, a compensation appraisal expert or some other reliable and substantiated method to determine fair market value? July 2015
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Legal Did the parties ensure that none of the compensation, in any way and whether in whole or in part, takes into account the volume or value of any referrals or business otherwise generated between the parties for which payment may be made, in whole or in part, by federal health care programs? With respect to office staffing arrangements, the review should also entail an analysis of whether the result of the arrangement is to transfer financial risk to the other contracting party. If so, the arrangement may be non-compliant. Additionally, if a physician is a party to multiple arrangements, especially if the arrangements are with the same contracting party, all of the arrangements should be analyzed in the aggregate to ensure that compensation and other factors, taken as a whole, do not create regulatory risk. Although the OIG Fraud Alert focused on anti-kickback statute compliance, these types of arrangements may implicate other fraud and abuse laws, including the federal Stark (anti-referral) Statute and its state counterparts and the federal False Claims Act and its state counterparts. With federal regulatory agency oversight and investigations on the uptick, physicians and other health care providers should be on “high alert� to ensure their financial arrangements are compliant with applicable fraud and abuse laws.
6 New Jersey Physician
Hospital Rounds
Deal on the table for Morristown? As of early this month, Atlantic Health System was still weighing its options after a judge revoked the property tax exemption for Morristown Medical Center, in a high-profile ruling for the health care industry. According to one source with knowledge of the system’s deliberations, one of those options might be simply cutting its losses. The person said executives with the system are debating internally whether to appeal the decision. “They may not appeal — and just cut a deal,” the source said, noting that could ultimately mean traditionally nonprofit hospitals could in fact be on the hook for property taxes in some form. That could be a disappointing reality for the Morristown hospital after a decade-long legal battle with the municipality over its property tax exemption. But some hospital executives outside Atlantic Health seem to be warming to the idea already — namely, Barnabas Health CEO Barry Ostrowsky and Cooper Health System board Chair George E. Norcross III, who have said health care systems should give some form of financial help to their host communities. Rankings are like opinions — we’ll say, in a twist on the old saying — everyone has one. So when the U.S. News & World Report best hospitals rankings came out, some viewed them with little more than curiosity. Do they really matter? Some would argue more than ever, now that so much is being done to promote — and with the Affordable Care Act — reward those with higher abilities to keep patients healthy while preventing return visits. “I think they are huge,” one hospital expert said. “If you think about it, from a consumer perspective or a payer perspective, they are looking for value, they are looking for high-quality service that is as cost-effective as possible. “From a business perspective, it’s not the whole picture, but it’s a big piece.” That may be good news for some, but not all. And perhaps not for the industry in general, as scores for the top New Jersey hospitals were lower than a year ago. Some said that was due to a new methodology, but it’s hard to blame the formula when you’re so willing to trumpet when it serves you. As for the state in general? “It’s not a great trend for New Jersey hospitals,” the insider said.
July 2015
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Hospital Rounds
Hospital Payments to Towns Discussed as Alternative to Property Taxes Andrew Kitchenman
Tax-court decision has healthcare industry, state legislators talking about potential compromises Leading voices in the healthcare industry and Legislature are talking about ways that nonprofit hospitals might make payments to towns short of facing property-tax bills for their entire properties. These discussions come on the heels of a state tax court decision which gained national attention by highlighting the extent to which nonprofit hospitals are involved in for-profit activities. One potential solution could be based on “payments in lieu of taxes,” or PILOTs, which some redevelopment projects pay to local municipalities. In PILOT arrangements, property owners pay municipalities a set amount each year that is less than what they would pay if they were being calculated based on the entire worth of their properties. The idea is gaining support across party lines, with Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney (D-Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem) issuing a joint statement with Sen. Robert W. Singer (R-Monmouth and Ocean) endorsing the idea that hospitals should have to pay “their fair share.” At the same time, the senators expressed concern over the impact that Judge of the Tax Court Vito Bianco’s decision in a tax case involving Morristown Medical Center could have on other hospitals. And while hospital-industry representatives decried Bianco’s ruling, powerful voices in the industry – including Cooper University Health Care Chairman George Norcross and Barnabas Health President and CEO Barry Ostrowsky -- have expressed a willingness to make payments to towns..
The proposal is of keen interest to municipalities with hospitals within their borders. New Jersey State League of Municipalities Assistant Executive Director Mike Cerra said league officials are interested in sitting down with legislators to discuss the issue. “We appreciate the sentiment that’s being expressed because clearly, with this tax ruling, there seems to be a common-ground opinion that when a nonprofit hospital is venturing into some for-profit activity, that the host municipality should receive their fair share,” Cerra said. On June 25, Bianco ruled that Morristown Medical Center had so intermingled its charitable and for-profit activities that nearly all of its property could no longer be considered exempt from property taxes. Hospital officials had argued that they had followed long-established and universal practices by hosting services offered both by doctors employed by the hospital and by self-employed physicians who operate for-profit businesses. But Bianco found that hospitals had strayed from the strictly charitable function they once served when they were originally granted exemptions. The additional PILOT revenue would be a boon to municipalities, some of which have a shortage of commercial property owners paying property taxes. An anlsysis by Moody’s Financial Services found that Bianco’s decision could have a positive effect on the bond ratings of municipalities that pursue hospital property taxes. In their joint statement, Sweeney and Singer noted that Bianco’s decision reflects in rapid changes in the healthcare industry. They said their legislative staffs “are gathering data, studying the issue, and meeting with the stakeholders to fully understand the issue and its impact.” “Any legislative solution should not be rushed. We must take a careful and thoughtful approach,” Sweeney and Singer added. The two state senators noted the importance of hospitals as local employers. “We need to be aware of the effect any changes could have but believe that there is a responsibility that the hospitals pay their fair share,” said their joint statement. Ostrowsky said that there may be “some way for those of us who manage not-for-profit assets” to contribute to local towns. He added that the Legislature should determine any solution, not judges.
8 New Jersey Physician
Virtua sues N.J. to thwart EMS takeover by Cooper Virtua Health Inc. sued the State of New Jersey on Monday to block a law, signed earlier this month by Gov. Christie, that transfers control of emergency medical services in Camden to Cooper University Hospital. Virtua, which currently provides the advanced life support, or paramedic, portion of those services, contends that the law gives Cooper an "exclusive privilege" without any rational medical basis, thereby violating the state constitution. Ordinarily in New Jersey, a hospital system seeking to provide emergency medical service in a region is required to submit a comprehensive "certificate of need" application to the state Department of Health. Cooper was able to bypass that process through the signed law. Christie's office and the state Health Department both referred questions to the state Attorney General's Office, which said it could not comment on litigation. Cooper also declined to comment. Virtua CEO Richard P. Miller, who last month panned the state's move as something out of "communist China," on Monday touted paramedic and other services his health system has been providing in Camden. "Virtua has long-standing commitments to Camden residents, not only by providing paramedic services, but also by delivering a wide range of health and community services, including emergency medical care, pediatric behavioral health, primary care and dental services," Miller said in a statement. Without naming Cooper, the law in effect identifies it as the new provider in Camden of both paramedic services and basic lifesupport services. The basic services currently are supplied by Newark-based University Hospital. Basic life support is performed by emergency medical technicians and includes such treatments as administering CPR and oxygen. Advanced life support is conducted by paramedics, who can intubate patients and administer intravenous fluids. As elsewhere in New Jersey, EMTs arrive on the scene of emergencies in Camden by ambulance, while paramedics come in a separate SUV, if needed. Virtua is joined in the lawsuit by Capital Health System Inc. of Trenton, which also is affected by the measure. The law, set to take effect in less than six months, enables the transfer of paramedic services in Hamilton Township, Mercer County, from Capital to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. Both Virtua and Capital Health have provided paramedic services in their regions for more than 30 years. Philip H. Lebowitz, a Philadelphia attorney who is representing the two health systems, conceded that Christie's signature on the law "is a hurdle, because courts are instructed to give the benefit of the doubt to legislators that their enactments are constitutional." Nevertheless, he said he was confident the law would be overturned on constitutional grounds. Cooper, a Level 1 trauma center, has contended that patients will be better off if it oversees the whole continuum of care treatment at the scene of emergencies, in the hospital, and even after discharge. Dan Fee, a spokesman for Cooper board chairman George E. Norcross III, also has said that the health system's paramedics will respond more quickly to emergency calls than Virtua does. From January through mid-June, Virtua paramedics arrived on the scene of emergencies in Camden within eight minutes of being dispatched in 69 percent of cases, according to an Inquirer analysis of data from the Camden County Public Safety Department. The Virtua squads got to the scene within 10 minutes of dispatch in 89 percent of cases, though the health system says it routinely does so in 90 percent of cases. Emergency-medicine experts say speed is indeed important in many types of emergencies, but they caution against setting a one-size-fits-all response time. The primary evidence for using an eight-minute standard comes from research on cardiac arrests. Currently, 69 percent of patients requiring advanced life-support services in Camden are taken to Cooper, while 29 percent go to Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center. The rest go to Virtua's satellite emergency facility in the city. Virtua also provides paramedic services in the rest of Camden County and in Burlington County. The law leaves that status unchanged. Health-care consultant Alan Zuckerman, president of Health Strategies & Solutions, said carving out the city of Camden from that larger territory may be inefficient. "Carving it out seems like it would create redundant expenditures," said Zuckerman, whose firm has worked in the past for Virtua, Cooper, and Lourdes. The state has 35 days to respond to the complaint, Lebowitz said. July 2015
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Hospital Rounds
Hackensack edges Morristown for state’s top hospital in prestigious U.S. News rankings By Tom Bergeron, Hackensack University Medical Center was once again named the top hospital in New Jersey by the prestigious U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals rankings, which were released Tuesday morning. Hackensack was nationally ranked in five of the identified specialties and rated “high performing” in six others, helping it earn the No. 4 overall honor in the New York City area. Morristown Medical Center earned the No. 2 spot in the state and No. 5 in the area after being nationally ranked in four specialties and high performing in five others. The Kessler Rehabilitation Institute in West Orange was the only other New Jersey hospital to earn a national ranking, finishing No. 3 overall for rehabilitation. Kessler, because it is not a general medical-surgical hospital, is not considered for the New Jersey or area ranking. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick (No. 8) and Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune (tied for No. 10) were the only other state hospitals to make the area Top 10. Only 144 of the nearly 5,000 hospitals that were analyzed earned a national ranking in even one specialty. Having five national rankings puts Hackensack among the Top 50 hospitals. Of those 50, Hackensack was one of only five to be ranked as high performing in five common care rankings (knee replacement, hip replacement, COPD, heart failure and heart bypass surgery). Robert C. Garrett, the CEO and president of Hackensack University Health Network, said he was thrilled to see the hospital be ranked so highly in so many areas of care. “I’m obviously thrilled by Hackensack’s rankings in so many specialties, but I’m also proud of the fact Hackensack offers such complete care,” he said. “If you need care for common ailments, you know you’re going to get great expertise and great hospital care at Hackensack. But if you need something more, if you need specialized care, I’ve been saying for years, you don’t have to go to New York City. We have it here, and these rankings prove it every year.” Brian Gragnolati, CEO and president of Atlantic Health System, said the rankings affirm Morristown Medical Center's commitment to providing quality care. “Five years ago, Morristown Medical Center broke into the Top 50 hospital designation with its rankings in cardiology & heart surgery," he said in a prepared statement. "Our efforts throughout the organization in bringing together top physicians to work collaboratively and our investments in facilities and technology have resulted in national and regional acclaim, but we strive for more. I am working with leaders throughout AHS to determine not only how to maintain our national recognition for Morristown Medical Center, but how to enhance other key services throughout our system that are critical to patients and their families.” U.S. News evaluates hospitals in 16 adult specialties. In most specialties, it ranks the nation's Top 50 hospitals and recognizes other high-performing hospitals that provide care at nearly the level of their nationally ranked peers. Hackensack was nationally ranked in neurology and neurosurgery (No. 28 in the nation), cardiology and heart surgery (No. 42), urology (No. 42), orthopedics (No. 47) and geriatrics (No. 48). Hackensack was high performing in cancer, ear nose and throat, gastroenterology and GI surgery, gynecology, nephrology and pulmonology. Morristown was nationally ranked in orthopedics (No. 29), pulmonology (No. 45), cardiology and heart surgery (No. 45) and geriatrics (No. 50). And it was high performing in gastroenterology and GI surgery, gynecology, nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, and urology. Other New Jersey hospitals ranked in the area include Saint Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick (tied for No. 12), University Medical Center of Princeton in Plainsboro (tied for No. 12), Overlook Medical Center in Summit (tied for No. 16) and Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck (tied for No. 18), Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank (tied for No. 18), Valley Hospital in Ridgewood (tied for No. 24) and University Hospital in Newark (tied for No. 26).
10 New Jersey Physician
Medicare
N.J. providers earn $2.5M in bonuses from UnitedHealthcare By Eric Strauss Nearly 500 New Jersey doctors have received a total of about $2.5 million in bonuses from UnitedHealthcare for excellence in treating its Medicare Advantage members, the insurer announced Monday. The Garden State doctors were among nearly 4,000 care providers nationwide who earned more than $54 million in bonus payments as winners of the PATH Excellence in Patient Service Awards for improving health outcomes and closing gaps in care, UnitedHealthcare said in a news release. “We are committed to recognizing and rewarding physicians in New Jersey for consistently helping our plan participants live healthier lives,” Dr. Sam Ho, UnitedHealthcare’s chief medical officer, said in a prepared statement. UnitedHealthcare — which is based in Minnesota and has its primary New Jersey offices in Iselin — said the PATH program rewards doctors who meet performance-based criteria, such as reaching goals in 17 specific health care effectiveness measures, when treating Medicare patients.
The program has four main components, UnitedHealthcare said:
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Patient support and communication, including mailings, emails and phone calls;
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Actionable patient data and reporting, such as provider reports with detailed statistics;
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Financial compensation for doctors, which include the bonus payments;
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Practice-based support, in the form of tools and customized support.
The awards are part of a nationwide shift toward performance-based evaluation of health care, including preventative health care services and proactive treatment of chronic conditions, rather than the traditional fee-for-service model. “As UnitedHealthcare continues building deeper, more collaborative relationships with care providers, the PATH Excellence in Patient Service Awards are just one step we are taking to support the transition to a value-based health care system in which payment is increasingly based on ensuring the people we serve receive the quality care they need,” Ho said. The insurer said its total payments to doctors and hospitals that use a value-based arrangement have nearly tripled in the past three years, to $38 billion. It predicts that, over the next three years, those payments will rise even further, to $65 billion. Doctors in UnitedHealthcare’s PATH program are treating nearly 1 million Medicare Advantage members in 2015, the insurer said. UnitedHealthcare said it treats nearly one in five Medicare beneficiaries.
12 New Jersey Physician
Hospital Rounds
CarePoint Health enters into partnership with Reliance Medical Group By Joshua Burd, CarePoint Health, the operator of three urban Hudson County hospitals, is spreading its reach to southern New Jersey with a new partnership set to be unveiled Thursday. The for-profit operator has entered in a partnership with Reliance Medical Group, aimed at raising the quality of affordable, patient-centered health care in the Atlantic City and the South Jersey region, according to a news release. The Pleasantvillebased group has more than 30 office locations throughout Atlantic, Camden, Cape May, Mercer and Ocean counties, providing care for more than 50,000 patients. “Today is a great day not only for our organizations but for the people and communities we serve throughout South Jersey,” Dr. John Regis, CEO and president of Reliance, said in prepared statement. “By partnering with CarePoint Health, we provide our patients with instant access to a variety of specialists and leading centers for medicine right here in New Jersey. This collaboration will also give us access to medical and business technology that will ensure Reliance Medical Group is providing its patients with the highest quality care.”
CarePoint, which owns and operates Bayonne Medical Center, Christ Hospital in Jersey City and Hoboken University Medical Center, first entered the market in 2008 when it acquired the financially ailing Bayonne hospital. It also operates roughly 100 specialty offices around North Jersey. Reliance Medical Group has 25 physicians, 13 nurse practitioners, five physician’s assistants and 150 staff members, comprising specialties in OB/GYN women’s health, pediatrics, family/internal medicine, podiatry, chiropractic and geriatric medicine. The agreement is set to be announced Thursday at an event in Atlantic City. It will operate under the name “CarePoint Health Partnering With Reliance Medical Group.” “This groundbreaking partnership will bring together two like-minded health care providers that are each committed to providing the people they serve with high quality, individualized and affordable care,” CarePoint CEO Dennis Kelly said in a prepared statement. “CarePoint Health has been wanting to expand its leading brand of health care into the South Jersey market. In Reliance Medical Group, we found a partner that would allow us to instantly do so, while maintaining all of our quality and affordability standards.”
14 New Jersey Physician
Children's Specialized Hospital pediatric practice earns 'patient-centered medical home' designation By Eric Strauss, Children's Specialized Hospital announced Thursday that its Pediatric Primary Care is the first special-needs pediatric practice in New Jersey to earn the “patient-centered medical home” designation. The Mountainside hospital, part of the Robert Wood Johnson Health System, said in a news release that the National Committee for Quality Assurance has recognized it after an assessment of its standards of care and scientific evidence of success. Patient-centered medical homes are a new model of care that combines teamwork and information technology to improve care and patient experience, as well as reduce costs. Patient care is overseen by clinician-led teams that coordinate treatment across the practice or system. “The PCMH designation recognizes our commitment to providing children access to coordinated, quality care, and shows we are committed to continuously improving the practice so our patients and their families may benefit even more,” Dr. Matthew B. McDonald III, chief of special needs pediatrics, Children’s Specialized Hospital, said in a prepared statement. “In addition, being a patient-centered medical home means we can better support our patients’ families beyond the walls of our practice, especially in navigating the complexities of the network of care our medically involved patients face on a daily basis.” Pediatric Primary Care at Children’s Specialized Hospital treats approximately 1,600 children with complex physical and mental health needs each year, it said. It will hold the patient-centered medical home designation for two years, then go through a reassessment process.
July 2015
15
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