Strategic Alliance Targets Opportunities for Collaborative Programs, Initiatives
and Services
Officials at Boca Raton Regional Hospital and North Shore-LIJ Health System
today announced an affiliation agreement aimed at creating synergistic
opportunities in such areas as patient care, clinical program development
and research and education in the health sciences. The agreement has an
initial three-year term.
North Shore-LIJ Health System is the largest integrated healthcare network
in the state of New York and one of the nation’s largest healthcare
systems, with net annual revenue of more than $7 billion. The health system
has 16 member hospitals and nearly 400 ambulatory physician practices
throughout the New York metropolitan area, affiliations with more than
9,400 physicians and a total workforce of more than 47,000 – the
largest private employer in New York. North Shore-LIJ also has its own
medical school (the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine) and research
enterprise (The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research).
“This is a very exciting and important development for Boca Raton
Regional Hospital,” said Jerry Fedele, President and CEO. “We
are thrilled to establish a mutually beneficial relationship with one
of the most accomplished health systems in the country.”
This unique agreement between independent healthcare systems operating
in different states provides substantial value to the respective hospitals,
affiliated physicians and patients in both New York and Florida.
“Our affiliation will permit both organizations to collaborate and
share best practices to better meet the healthcare needs of the populations
we serve, including many patients who live in the New York area and spend
the winter months in Palm Beach and Broward counties,” said Michael
J. Dowling, North Shore-LIJ’s President and CEO. “Establishing
this new relationship will lead to better continuity of care for patients
who rely on both providers for their care. From the continuity and quality
of care perspective alone, we had an excellent foundation for establishing
a relationship.”
Both Fedele and Dowling emphasized that discussions between the organizations
identified a number of opportunities for additional collaboration.
“While our preliminary talks were rooted in continuity of care,
we soon discovered a joint desire to explore ways that we could learn
from each other,” said Fedele. “The depth and experience of
a system such as North Shore-LIJ certainly presents outstanding advantages
to us and will be important as healthcare migrates to new paradigms of
care that are focused on population health management, wellness and new
risk and performance-based payment structures.”
Dowling stressed that the quality of programs and services at Boca Regional
was also a determining factor for North Shore-LIJ to structure an affiliation.
“It was essential for us to partner with an organization that shares
our level of commitment to patient care. By any metric, be it patient
safety, quality of care or national accolades for clinical excellence,
Boca Regional is exceptional,” he said. “When you couple that
with its programmatic vibrancy and its regional leadership in such areas
as heart and cancer care, women’s health and now the neurosciences,
this is a hospital that we can recommend to our patients with great confidence
and enthusiasm.”
Fedele emphasized that the affiliation with North Shore-LIJ was indicative
of Boca Regional’s ongoing efforts to not only respond to industry
challenges, but also to strengthen itself through creative relationships.
The Hospital’s Board of Trustees recently completed a strategic
planning process that called for Boca Regional to remain an independent,
not-for-profit hospital while seeking partnerships that would strengthen
its ability to thrive and provide the best care for its patients in an
evolving healthcare environment.
According to the affiliation agreement, both Boca Raton Regional Hospital
and North Shore-LIJ will maintain their respective corporate independence
and local autonomy.
“We are most enthused with this agreement,” said Boca Regional
Board Chair, Christine E. Lynn. “It is indicative of both the Board
and management’s desire to seek out new and better ways to serve
our community while remaining true to our mission and heritage. Our new
relationship with North Shore-LIJ compliments that goal perfectly.”
“North Shore-LIJ is thrilled to develop this formal affiliation
with a hospital outside of New York that will focus principally on clinical
care programming,” said Richard D. Goldstein, Chair of the North
Shore-LIJ Board of Trustees. “Working with an extraordinary partner
like Boca Raton Regional Hospital, we will ensure that thousands of New
Yorkers and Floridians with homes in both states will be able to access
the coordinated care they need to stay healthy.”
About Boca Raton Regional Hospital
Boca Raton Regional Hospital is an advanced, tertiary medical center (www.brrh.com)
with 400 beds and more than 800 primary and specialty physicians on staff.
The Hospital is a recognized leader in oncology, cardiovascular disease
and surgery, minimally invasive surgery, orthopedics, women’s health,
emergency medicine and the neurosciences, all of which offer state-of-the-art
diagnostic and imaging capabilities. The Hospital is a designated Comprehensive
Stroke Center by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA).
Boca Raton Regional Hospital is the recipient of the 2014 Distinguished
Hospital Award for Clinical ExcellenceTM for the tenth year in a row and
was named one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals in 2011, 2012 and 2013,
both by Healthgrades®. Boca Raton Regional Hospital was also recognized
for the third consecutive year in U.S. News & World Report’s
2013-2014 Best Hospitals listing as a top-ranked hospital in the South
Florida metropolitan area.
About North Shore-LIJ
One of the nation's largest health systems, North Shore-LIJ delivers
world-class clinical care throughout the New York metropolitan area, pioneering
research at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research and a visionary
approach to medical education highlighted by the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ
School of Medicine. North Shore-LIJ cares for people at every stage of
life at 16 hospitals and nearly 400 outpatient physician practices throughout
the region. North Shore-LIJ’s owned hospitals and long-term care
facilities house more than 6,000 beds, employ more than 10,000 nurses
and have affiliations with more than 9,400 physicians. With a workforce
of more than 47,000, North Shore-LIJ is the largest private employer in
New York State. For more information, go to
www.northshorelij.com.
Media Contacts:
Thomas Chakurda, 561.955.3586
Boca Raton Regional Hospital
tchakurda@brrh.com
Brian Mulligan, 516.465.2600
North Shore-LIJ/
bmulliga@nshs.edu