Amid changing regulations, financial structure and patient care, the health care landscape is getting more and more difficult to recognize these days.
Amid this shifting foundation stands Dennis D. Keefe, head of Care New England Health System. Also chair of the Hospital Association of Rhode Island, Keefe, a former Cambridge, Mass., public health commissioner, is no stranger to tough decisions that are made all the more challenging because of the great scrutiny the industry is under.
Part of the solution is for health care organizations to band together, as has Care New England which includes Butler, Kent County Memorial, Memorial and Women & Infants hospitals. Keefe has formed an alliance with Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island. Keefe added troubled Memorial Hospital in Pawtucket to the fold in 2013, and though a merger deal with Lifespan was not completed in 2010 due to regulatory hurdles, Keefe continues to be bullish on strategic alliances. In fact, Care New England currently is in talks with Southcoast Health to merge the two systems.
In seeking to resolve financial losses, Keefe has moved to trim unused services including layoffs at Memorial Hospital. “We are doing everything we can to respond to our tough financial situation, and workforce reductions are a last resort,” he told PBN. A plan to move Memorial’s obstetric service has sparked controversy and protests. Difficult decisions aren’t always popular.
The state, meanwhile, will save $120 million next fiscal year due to a Medicaid reorganization, announced Gov. Gina M. Raimondo, the fruit of the labor of a working group of which Keefe is a member. •
