Milford Regional Medical Center Receives Nearly $500,000 Grant

Editor's Note: the following announcement was made Wednesday by state Sen. Richard Moore (D-Uxbridge) and state Rep. John Fernandes (D-Milford).

Sen. Richard T. Moore and Rep. John V. Fernandes today announced that the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission (HPC) has awarded Milford Regional Medical Center a total of $499,810 to enhance the delivery of efficient, effective health care in the Milford-area.

"Improving the process of transitioning a patient from an acute care setting is vital to the health of the patient and quality of care provided as well as to containing rising health costs," said Sen. Moore. "This grant will place Milford Regional Medical Center in the forefront of safe, high quality care delivery ensuring that the transition to rehab or home care is a seamless and safe experience. Those who sought, and will implement, the grant deserve our thanks for ensuring the best possible care of the people in our area who are served by the hospital."

"I am grateful for this grant to the Milford Regional Medical Center," said Rep. Fernandes. "Our community hospital, the Milford Regional Medical Center, has been on the cutting edge of health care administrative efforts to improve patient care and record keeping in ways that manage costs and make service delivery more efficient and effective. This grant will help accelerate those efforts with an added goal of reduced patient costs. Massachusetts is known throughout the nation as the leader in offering exceptional, specialized and advanced medical care. By promoting an integrated patient care system and accelerating the move towards secured electronic health record keeping, the grant's long-term goals are to avoid unnecessary and costly re-hospitalizations, improve after-care coordination and ultimately provide better patient care."

The HPC, an independent state agency created through the Legislature's landmark health care cost containment law, Chapter 224 of the Acts of 2012, is making approximately $10 million available to 28 community hospitals across the Commonwealth through Phase 1 of the Community Hospital Acceleration, Revitalization, and Transformation (CHART) Investment Program.

CHART, a four-year program funded by an industry assessment of select providers and insurers, makes phased investments to: promote care coordination, integration, and delivery transformations; advance electronic health records adoption and information exchange among providers; increase alternative payment methods and accountable care organizations; and enhance patient safety, access to behavioral health services, and coordination between hospitals and community-based providers and organizations.

On January 8, 2014, the HPC approved the award for Milford Regional Medical Center. The investment will support the piloting of transmission of discharge summaries to select community providers using Mass HIway, integration of process improvements to existing care transitions program, including expansion beyond specific diagnoses, and development of a strategic plan to improve care transitions and reduce avoidable re-hospitalizations.

"Today's awards show that the HPC is committed to partnering with Sen. Moore and Rep. Fernandes and the Milford region's community hospitals to achieve the Commonwealth's cost containment and quality improvement goals," said David Seltz, Executive Director of the HPC. "We look forward to continuing this work until we build a more coordinated and affordable health care system in all corners of Massachusetts."

Over the next six months, the HPC will support and monitor the implementation activities of CHART hospitals. Comprehensive evaluation and accountability are strong elements of the CHART Investment Program in order to assess these new initiatives' impacts on health care cost and quality. This engagement will strengthen future phases of the CHART Program, including Phase 2 expected in spring 2014.