Dr. Timothy J. Babineau

If there is AN OVERALL theme so far in Dr. Timothy J. Babineau’s career as head of Lifespan, Rhode Island’s largest health care system, it is collaboration. Collaboration, or partnerships, have set up Lifespan to be a true leader in the field of neuroscience research, for instance. This strength in numbers approach could make a considerable impact on study initiatives on a number of other fronts as well.

Over the past year or so, Lifespan partnered with Tufts Health Plan to create a tiered network plan — Lifespan Premier Choice — growing options for its patients. In other signs of collaboration having a major effect, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Lifespan hospitals also have an arrangement so patients can stay here for care based at the Boston institution. And Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, Lifespan and Coastal Medical joined forces to coordinate care for 45,000 patients through an accountable care organization plan.

Joint efforts may be innate to Babineau, who was born into a health care team: his mother is a nurse, his father, a primary-care doctor.

In perhaps the most innovative move, Lifespan teamed up with Brown University, Care New England, the University of Rhode Island and the Providence VA Medical Center to work together in getting research funding for brain science studies for conditions that include Alzheimer’s and epilepsy. “The big complicated problems are only solved through collaboration,” Babineau told Providence Business News at the time about the statewide arrangement, thought to be the first of its kind. •

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