News and Events

May 24, 2022

A Message for Tufts Medicine Integrated Network

We continue to make steady progress in building the operating model to support our goals of healthier communities and thriving physician practices. To succeed, we must excel at disease management programs to support our adult and pediatric population health goals and to deliver high-value practice optimization solutions – at the local level, where care matters.

To support our Network’s ability to deliver against these goals, we have organized around three Regions – North, Central and South. Regions are anchored in our core belief that physician and administrative leaders close to the point of care can best manage strategy activation, resource decisions and performance accountability. Recognizing that a significant share of the population we serve is pediatric, we have also established an Enterprise Pediatrics Council with authority and accountability for performance improvement.

• Please click here for the detailed announcement.
• Please click here to view the organization chart.
• Please click here for answers to frequently asked questions.

Please join me in congratulating these fine leaders for their incredible individual contributions to date as part of our Network and please support them as they take on their new responsibilities in leading our Regions and Enterprise Pediatrics Council to success.

Best,

Emily

Emily Young

President, Tufts Medicine Integrated Network

Click here for the Briefing that was sent to our Network.

Click here for the Briefing that was sent to our Network.

Click here for the Briefing that was sent to our Network.

Click here for the Briefing that was sent to our Network.

Click here for the Briefing that was sent to our Network.

Click here for the Briefing that was sent to our Network.

A message for clinicians throughout Tufts Medicine

Our patients’ Epic charts are currently a conglomeration of every legacy EMR across the Tufts Medicine system. This has created duplication and ambiguity in our Epic medication lists.

This is one of the most common Epic installation issues, and we understand how challenging it is for everyone involved. At the same time, having accurate medication and allergy lists is a top patient safety issue, and we need to prioritize this reconciliation work. 

Join an Interactive Session for Clinicians on April 12

To help you navigate Epic and perform critical reconciliation tasks, we will host an interactive session with live demonstrations on Tuesday, April 12 from 5:30pm – 6:00pm. We hope that many of you will attend, ask questions and share what you’ve learned with others.

Epic Lessons Learned

Navigating and Reconciling Patient Charts – Problems, Allergies, Medications, Immunizations (PAMI). Click here to register.

Reconciliation Reminders

• The first clinician to interact with a patient’s chart should begin the medication and allergy reconciliation to the best of their ability, and subject to their clinical expertise.
• It is most important to add correct medications to the active medication list.
• It is less important to delete duplicates.
• If you do not feel comfortable or knowledgeable enough to “trash” medications during your reconciliation, don’t do it. Other clinicians may need those medications, and we need to respect each other’s work flows.

Additional Resources

For those clinicians who may want to take a deeper dive into this topic, we are happy to share these abstraction guidelines and a general abstraction tutorial video.

Thank you for all of the work you are doing in this critical area.

Note: the 4/11 COVID-19 Webinar has been Canceled. Click here to see the cancellation notice sent to our Network.

Please click here for the message sent to our Network.

Click here for the COVID-19 Briefing that was sent to our Network.

Please click here for the message sent to our Network.

Please click here for the message sent to our Network.

Click here for the Telehealth Update sent to our Network. 

Colleagues:

As previously announced, Tufts Children's Hospital will close its pediatric inpatient units, effective July 1, 2022. After that date, any child who needs overnight hospitalization will be cared for at Boston Children’s Hospital.

Please note that most of our pediatric programs and community-based services remain open and unchanged. To read the full list of these services, click here.

Please call our information line at (866-978-2399) with any questions you may have. We are here to help.

Dear Community,

We wanted to provide you with an update on all the work being done around the Tufts Children’s Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) collaboration.

We are first and foremost grateful to our dedicated pediatric teams who despite this challenging situation continue to provide world class care each and every day and night, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They are quite simply among the most professional people we have had occasion to work with.

We continue to work closely with each of our teams and with BCH to provide greater clarity on our future direction. Tufts Children’s and BCH leaders continue to meet division by division to work through all that is ahead of us.

We will provide another update when we have more material information to share. Thank you to everyone connected to this important work and thanks again to our pediatric teams for the work they do every day and for working through these changes with us. 

Sincerely,

Michael Tarnoff, MD, FACS                

President and CEO                                                     

Tufts Medical Center and                                           

Tufts Children’s Hospital                    

Michael Wagner, MD, FACP

Chief Physician Executive

Tufts Medicine

Helen W. Boucher, MD FACP FIDSA

Dean ad interim

Professor of Medicine

Chief Academic Officer

Tufts Medicine/Tufts Medical Center

Michael J. Dandorph

President and CEO

Tufts Medicine

Please click here for the message sent to our Network.

Please click here for the message sent to our Network.

Please click here for the message sent to our Network.

Please click here for the message sent to our Network.

Please click here for the message sent to our Network.

Click here for the Briefing that was sent to our Network.

Topics Include:

• Updated Treatment Guidance
• Diagnostic Testing
• New Variant Alert
• Infection Control/PPE
• Vaccines, Prevention, Boosters

Dear Colleagues,

February 3 is National Women Physicians Day! And while we will be celebrating all of our physicians on National Doctors Day at the end of March, we want to take a moment to shine a light on our female physicians and thank you for all you do each day—especially over the past two years during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your commitment to our patients throughout these challenging times is truly an inspiration to us all and very much appreciated.

As many of you are aware, February 3 marks the birthday of Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States in 1849. Dr. Blackwell initiated the movement that helped women gain entry and equality in the field of medicine.

To our female physicians: This your day, so no matter where you work or the type of care you provide, we thank you once again for your dedication.

Please join us as we celebrate all of our women physicians!

Warm regards,

Michael Wagner, MD

Chief Physician Executive

Tufts Medicine

Click here for the Briefing that was sent to our Network.

A Message for the Tufts Medicine Clinically Integrated Network

Dear Colleagues:

Based on feedback from our physician community, we’ve decided to cancel the webinar about Tufts Children’s Hospital’s plans to enter into a collaboration with Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH).

A Network-wide webinar won’t allow for the kind of conversation and collaboration that we look forward to having with you.

Instead, we will host smaller forums (input sessions) to address your questions and engage you in discussions about the future of pediatric services.

Our goal is to convene local groups of pediatricians and family practitioners, because we know that patient needs and referral patterns differ by region. We also will schedule meetings with Network leadership teams and interested medical practices. Please look for follow-up announcements with meeting dates and times.

In the meantime, please reach out to me – or any member of the Tufts Medicine CIN Senior Leadership Team – if you’d like to schedule an input session with your group right away.

We look forward to connecting with you.

Best,

Emily

Emily.Young [at] wellforce.org (Emily Young)

President

Tufts Medicine Clinically Integrated Network

A Message for the Tufts Medicine Clinically Integrated Network

January 20, 2022

Dear Colleagues:

The Tufts Medicine Clinically Integrated Network’s vision is to build healthier communities as we accelerate the shift to value-based care. Tufts Medicine, as a health system, is leading change in our community in support of that vision. 

Today, we are announcing a major initiative to advance our patient and care team experiences and to expand the reach of our Health System across New England. 

Effective July 1, 2022 and pending regulatory approval, Tufts Children’s Hospital will enter into a collaboration with Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) and will close its 41 pediatric inpatient beds, transitioning care for children requiring inpatient admissions to BCH.

In addition, we have begun discussions with BCH on how to best structure the future of our subspecialty clinics (Boston, Brockton, Chelmsford, Lawrence and Woburn), our outpatient surgical/procedural services and our pediatric hospitalist network (Signature Healthcare Brockton, Lawrence General, Lowell General, MelroseWakefiled and MetroWest hospitals).

Level III neonatal intensive care services will continue to be offered at Tufts Medical Center, as they serve as a vital component to the growth of Tufts MC’s highly regarded Maternal Fetal Medicine program and the strong network that has been built across eastern Massachusetts by our neonatology team.

As we make this announcement, we also celebrate the legacy of commitment and caring by the Tufts Children’s Hospital pediatric staff from the founding of the “The Floating” to today. That legacy is what enabled this collaboration with BCH.

Concurrently, we will begin the process to obtain regulatory approval to expand our inpatient capacity at Tufts MC. This will enable Tufts Medicine to address unmet demand for care of critically ill adult patients, while assuring that your pediatric patients continue to get extraordinary care, now through our collaboration with BCH.

We recognize that a strategic decision of this magnitude may create disruptions in the near-term that must be messaged and managed. Several helpful communications resources have been developed for you and your patients, including:

• Answers to Frequently Asked Questions for physicians and pediatric families
• Flier for pediatric families
• Resource line to answer physician and pediatric patient questions: 866-978-2339
• Dedicated section of the Tufts Medical Center website to provide key updates and resources: www.tuftsmedicalcenter.org/BCH.

We also plan to host informational webinars for physicians and practice staff to keep you informed about progress to establish the collaboration with Boston Children’s Hospital. Please look for future announcements of dates/times. All webinars will be recorded for “on demand” listening/viewing.

Our collaboration with BCH is a strategic decision that underscores the Tufts Medicine commitment to accelerate change to improve the health of our communities. Over the next several months as the transition is operationalized, there will undoubtedly be questions that arise. We will be intentional about providing you with the information you need in a timely and concise manner to respond to questions from your patients and colleagues. In the interim, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly.

With warm regards,

Emily Young

President

Tufts Medicine Clinically Integrated Network

Read full message here.

Click here for the Briefing that was sent to our Network.

Topics include:

• 1/19 COVID-19 Update Webinar
• COVID-19 Answer Center
• Testing
• Treatment
• Key Reminders

Click here for the Briefing that was sent to our Network.

Topics include:

• Message from Dr. Osborn: Help Needed To Address COVID-19 Surge: Telehealth and Testing
• Jan. 6, 2022 COVID-19 Update Webinar
• New Programs for Our Network

Click here for the Briefing that was sent to our Network.

Topics include:

• Jan. 6, 2022 COVID-19 Update Webinar
• Prevention
• Treatment
• Testing
• New CDC Guidelines: Isolation and Quarantine
• Office Practice Tips

Click here for the Briefing that was sent to our Network.

Topics include:

• Jan. 6, 2022 COVID-19 Update Webinar
• Message from Dr. Osborn
• COVID-19 Info for Patients
• New Boston Vaccine Requirement
• Holiday Party Safety
• Omicron
• New Programs for Our Network

December 13, 2021

Dear Colleagues:

Momentum is building as we establish a Clinically Integrated Network that is meaningfully, distinctively different for our physicians, patients, and communities. 

We are pleased to report that Emily Young, MBA, has been named President after serving in the role on an interim basis since May 2021. Click here to read the media statement announcing the good news.

Emily’s appointment follows an extensive national search that culminated in an interview process involving dozens of physicians from across our Network. All who met with Emily were impressed by her passion to realize our vision for a Network unlike any other in our market – one where patients and physicians can truly thrive in today’s tumultuous health care environment. We look forward to working with Emily and her team to accomplish this most pressing priority.

Read more. 

Click here for the Briefing that was sent to our Network.

Topics Include:

• 12.1 IEP for Home Seminar Series
• 12.2 COVID-19 Update Webinar
• By 12.31: Complete Diversity and Culture Module
• ICYMI: Programs for Our Network

Materials for Patients  - What To Do When You Think You Need the Emergency Room

(This Template is adapted from a document created by Hallmark Health)

Download, customize and share this template when advising patients where to seek care under different circumstances. Ensuring patients choose the right setting for their condition is important, as it saves time spent in a waiting room and ensures that emergency resources are available for those who truly need them.

Click here for further guidance from Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association (MHA).

Click here for the Briefing that was sent to our Network.

Topics include:

• This Thursday (11.18): Risk Adjustment Coding Webinar
• Encouraging Pediatric Vaccination
• Leadership Development Program
• Clinical Guidance for Practices
• EpicEdge Town Halls
• IEP for Home Seminar Series
• Overview of the Tufts Medicine Medicare Shared Savings Program ACO
• By 12.31: Complete Diversity and Culture Module
• ICYMI: Programs for Our Network

Colleagues:

I’m pleased to update you on progress to name the ongoing president of the Tufts Medicine Clinically Integrated Network.

You will recall that the Tufts Medicine CIN Board named Emily Young as Interim President in July 2021 to provide strong executive leadership while a national search for a president was conducted. The Board remains grateful to Emily for her work to chart the Network’s initial course and stand-up its management systems.

The Board has been working with a nationally recognized search firm to manage recruitment of both internal and external candidates. Hundreds of candidates have been contacted and dozens vetted. The Board has concluded its first round of interviews with seven promising candidates and has selected three to move forward in the process.

In the weeks ahead, several dozen physicians from across our Network – in addition to key executives – will be invited to interview the three candidates. Findings from these interviews will help the Tufts Medicine CIN Board select a candidate or candidates to participate in final interviews to take place before calendar year-end. 

I look forward to keeping you informed as additional progress is made.

Best,

Mike

Michael Wagner, M.D. FACP

Chief Physician Executive 

Tufts Medicine

Email: michael.wagner [at] wellforce.org

Mobile: 617-549-4076

Click here for the Performance Briefing that was sent to our Network.

Topics include:

• Tips from WCIN PCPs
• Colonoscopy Screenings
• A1c Exams
• Women's Health
• Adolescent HPV Series
• CPT Codes
• COVID-19 Antibody Testing
• Post-Acute Care Guide
• Programs for our Network

Developmental/Behavioral Pediatric Support

Individualized Education Program (IEP) for Home – An Educational Tool for Parents to use with their primary care providers and primary care office staff

The Tufts Medicine Clinically Integrated Network has collaborated with Erik von Hahn MD, Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician from the Center for Children with Special needs at Tufts Children’s Hospital. As part of this collaboration, Dr. von Hahn developed a parent/caregiver-oriented website with valuable information that parents can use to promote their child’s development.

Interested in learning more? Join us the first Wednesday of each month for the IEP for home Seminar Series. 

Materials for Download:

• IEP for Home Seminar Series Flyer
• IEP for Home Skills Flyer

Mark Gilchrist, MD, FAAP, has been named Vice Chair of the Tufts Medicine Clinically Integrated Network Board, succeeding David Pickul, MD.   

Dr. Gilchrist has served as a Trustee of the Tufts Medicine CIN Board since the Network’s launch in July 2021. He was among the 14 physicians who guided the formation of the Tufts Medicine CIN, a distinctively different population health management and value-based care contracting entity.

Dr. Gilchrist is a board-certified pediatrician in private practice practice in Chelmsford, MA.  A graduate of Chelmsford High School and the University of Miami, Dr. Gilchrist received his medical degree from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. He completed his pediatric residency at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Women and Children in Orlando, Florida.

In addition to his roles within the Tufts Medicine CIN, Dr. Gilchrist is Chair of the Board of the Lowell General Physician Hospital Organization, as well as medical adviser for The Paul Center in Chelmsford and Greater Lowell Family YMCA. He also has served as Chief of Pediatrics at Lowell General Hospital and as Chair of the Board of Directors of The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Lowell.

Dr. David Pickul’s death on September 15, 2021 is a stunning development that none of us could have foreseen, least of all his loving wife and family. More than once since then I have found myself thinking, “I want to connect with David about this or that.” It will take all of us some time to process the loss and fully absorb its implications.

From the outset, David was a driving force behind the Tufts Medicine CIN. Our new Network exists in large part due to his leadership and tenacity. He was firmly convinced that the time had come to do something different, to be something different – all in pursuit of improved community wellbeing and more rewarding experiences for physicians.

David was willing to take the same leap of faith each of us has to create a Network unlike others – to move forward even when we don’t have all the answers. His “tell it like I see it” approach to problem-solving inspired the rest of us to be equally candid. David never shied away from tackling thorny issues, but his unfailing good humor made sure we emerged from debates as colleagues and friends.

His energy, wisdom and steadfast commitment to work in the best interests of patients and their physicians will be sorely missed.

Michele Crage, MD

Board Chair

I am very pleased to report that our Tufts Medicine Clinically Integrated Network (CIN) has achieved one of our primary goals – to establish a system-wide Medicare Accountable Care Organization (ACO) to participate in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) Enhanced Track option effective January 1, 2022. Our plan has been approved by the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Tufts Medicine Joint Payer Contracting Committee.

Starting in 2022, providers currently participating in NEQCA’s Next Generation ACO model and providers participating in the Circle Health Alliance (CHA) ACO Medicare MSSP will join together in our new Tufts Medicine Medicare ACO.  This ACO will retain CHA’s existing five-year MSSP agreement, which has the most favorable benchmark of all Medicare ACO options available for 2022.  Together, our providers will be accountable for advancing the quality and efficiency of care for approximately 50,000 beneficiaries. 

Achieving this goal would not have been possible without the visionary leadership of our Tufts Medicine CIN Board and essential insights from our Local Care Organization leaders. Creating the Tufts Medicine Medicare ACO also involved substantial contributions by our tenacious team of ACO experts from our Braintree and Lowell offices. They spent six months navigating myriad details to bring together our two successful Medicare ACOs into one. I sincerely appreciate the hard work of all who helped us reach this important milestone. 

You will hear more about the Tufts Medicine Medicare ACO in the months ahead as we work together to advance the health and wellbeing of Medicare beneficiaries. Until then, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions.

Emily Young

Interim President

Tufts Medicine Clinically Integrated Network

You're Invited: COVID-19 Update Webinar

Please join us on Tuesday, September 14 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. for the latest updates about variants, vaccines, boosters, flu vaccine, breakthrough infections, masking, treatments and testing. All members of the Tufts Medicine Physician Community are invited to attend. Please share this message with interested colleagues

Click here to join the meeting. Or, use the dial-in information below. 

Join Zoom Meeting

https://wellforce.zoom.us/j/92130556306

One tap mobile

+16468769923,,92130556306# US (New York)

Dial by your location

+1 646 876 9923 US (New York)

Meeting ID: 921 3055 6306

Find your local number: https://wellforce.zoom.us/u/azDlTppiJ

Your response would be appreciated by Friday, 9/3.

To our esteemed colleagues,

We are excited to announce a new leadership opportunity for two physicians from our Tufts Medicine Clinically Integrated Network.

Tufts Medicine is forming a Pharmacy & Therapeutics (P&T) Committee and is looking for two community-based primary care physicians – one adult and one pediatric – to play key roles. 

P&T Committee members will provide system-level oversight and feedback for pharmacy and therapeutics, bringing the unique perspective of our Clinically Integrated Network into the decision-making process. 

Your voluntary participation would require a commitment to meet for a few hours about four times a year. 

Would you please complete this form by September 3, 2021 to express your interest or if you have questions?

We thank you for giving the opportunity your serious consideration; the perspectives of community-based PCPs like you are important and very much appreciated.

Sincerely,

Tufts Medicine Clinically Integrated Network

Medical Leadership Team

Megan Cardoso, MD

Ben Kruskal, MD

Frank Osborn, MD

Pratiksha Patel, MD

To the Tufts Medicine Physician Community:

I am writing to ask for your support as we continue to battle COVID-19. We are a year and a half into the pandemic, facing the Delta and other variants, rising infections and another school year.

Vaccination against COVID-19 is more important than ever. We are fortunate to live in a state with a good level of vaccine adoption. As vaccines are required at our Tufts Medicine system, colleges, universities and businesses, some of your patients will ask you to provide documentation exempting them from the mandate.

When should vaccination exemptions be granted?

There are always unique cases where an exemption may make sense, but these cases are few and far between. I urge you to only offer patients a letter of exemption, or to fill out an exemption form for a true contraindication to vaccination. To help you with this important decision-making, please consult this briefing document and COVID-19 Patient Information Sheet.

Denying a patient's request is never easy for you or your staff. I sympathize with this challenge, but would call upon you to fulfill your duty to all of your patients and to society in general.

Resources for you and your patients

• What Are The Medical Exemptions For Not Getting A Covid-19 Vaccine? - By Forbes
• COVID-19 Update Presentation and Webinar featuring Drs Ben Kruskal and Adam Weston. Note: If you would like to jump ahead in the recording, the discussion on mandating COVID-19 Vaccine begins 40 minutes and 16 seconds (40:16) into the presentation.

Thank you for your time and your support.

Sincerely,

Frank Osborn, MD

Interim Chief Medical Officer

Tufts Medicine Clinically Integrated Network

July 1, 2021

Announcing the Tufts Medicine Clinically Integrated Network 

There are no limits to what physicians can do when we come together to make change happen.

For the past six months, we physicians have been meeting to find common ground on how to successfully build healthier communities and sustainable physician practices. We have explored the challenges that are shared across our region and networks. As a group, we debated methods to mobilize physicians and architect a Network capable of delivering meaningful, sustainable, and distinctive value for physicians, patients, and communities.

Today, we are pleased to announce the formation of a single population health and value-based care contracting entity that builds upon the best of Lowell General PHO and New England Quality Care Alliance (NEQCA).

We are calling ourselves the Tufts Medicine Clinically Integrated Network (Tufts Medicine CIN) for the time being, while Tufts Medicine continues its work to introduce a unified brand across our health system. Our new Network embraces primary care and specialist physicians, in private and employed practices, working as community and academic providers. Our aim is to improve community wellbeing and to create healthy, rewarding experiences for our physicians.

The Chair of the Board of our new Network is Dr. Michele Crage and the Vice Chair is Dr. David Pickul. Other Physician Trustees include Drs. David Criss, Dan Driscoll, Mark Gilchrist, Karen Freund, Kelli Kennedy, and Peter Roman. In addition, Jody White of Circle Health will serve as a Trustee. We are confident that as these leaders start working together you will experience something new, while continuing to enjoy the benefits that have set NEQCA and Lowell General PHO apart for many years.

The broad outlines of the new Network were shared with you at our recent Forums. More details will come your way as the Board becomes active. In the interim, please reach out to us or to Emily Young, Interim Network President.

Your voice matters as we stand-up this new Network. We are looking for broad and active engagement from participating physicians as we take ownership over the success of this new venture.

With appreciation,

Craig Best, MD

Michele Crage, MD

David Criss, MD

Dan Driscoll, MD

Karen Freund, MD

Bill Galvin, MD

Mark Gilchrist, MD

Ted Herwig, MD

Michael Jiser, MD

Kelli Kennedy, MD

Frank Osborn, MD

Tushar Patel, MD

David Pickul, MD

Peter Roman, MD

May 7, 2021

A Message for the Tufts Medicine Physician Community

All Members of Lowell General PHO and NEQCA

Colleagues:

Would you please plan to attend one of three upcoming Forums to learn about the Tufts Medicine Clinically Integrated Network and how it will benefit you, your practice and your patients?

• Thursday, 5/13, 5:30-6:30 p.m. (RSVP here)
• Wednesday, 5/19, 6-7 p.m. (RSVP here)
• Wednesday, 5/26, 6-7 p.m. (RSVP here)

Background

In the Fall of 2020, we came together as physician leaders from New England Quality Care Alliance (NEQCA) and the Lowell General PHO to build a physician Network ​that is distinctively different from anything in the market. Our goal was to create a strategic business enterprise, built and governed by doctors, to manage populations and value-based care. The new Network will go live in June 2021. We want to update you on the build.

The new Network will be different from anything in the market because it is pluralistic, bringing together private-practice and employed physicians, community- and academic-based providers, and primary care and specialist clinicians. It will be different because success is not defined as hospital admissions or financials but healthier communities and sustainable physician practices. And, the Network will be different because it reflects our belief that care is best managed and improved by local care teams working close to the point of service.

Speaking at the Forums will be the LGPHO and NEQCA physicians who have led the Network’s development. Also attending will be Michael Dandorph, Tufts Medicine CEO, Michael Wagner, MD, Tufts Medicine Chief Physician Executive, and Emily Young, Interim Network President. We will provide an update on what’s planned and then leave time to listen to your input and answer your questions.

As the physician leaders who are making decisions about our future Network, we sincerely hope that you will attend a Forum, share your point of view, and help us build a meaningfully different "Doctors’ Network."

We look forward to seeing you at a Forum that is most convenient for you to attend.

Craig Best, MD

Michele Crage, MD

David Criss, MD

Dan Driscoll, MD

Bill Galvin, MD

Mark Gilchrist, MD

Ted Herwig, MD

Michael Jiser, MD

Kelli Kennedy, MD

Frank Osborn, MD

Tushar Patel, MD

David Pickul, MD

Peter Roman, MD

Eric Silverman, MD

Michael Wagner, MD

May 6, 2021

A Message for the Tufts Medicine Physician Community

Dear Physician Colleagues,

Over the last 12 months, we have had the honor of working with many of you to craft a new vision for how physicians can partner together to truly deliver something different and better for our communities and for one another. It is true that the Boston area is home to some of the best physicians, hospitals, and health systems in the world. Yet, no matter where in the region people get their care or which system physicians are aligned with, they tell us that there are unmet needs when it comes to building healthy communities, creating great care experiences, and sustaining successful physician practices.

We listened. We brought together the best thinking of physicians from the Lowell General PHO and NEQCA to imagine a different kind of Clinically Integrated Network. In our planning, we pushed well past incremental improvement in the status quo. Rather, we challenged ourselves to build a Clinically Integrated Network that communities, patients and providers would experience as meaningfully, distinctively different. 

Our New Network

Today, we are pleased to share more about this new Clinically Integrated Network that unites the physicians of NEQCA and the Lowell General PHO and will officially launch in June 2021. This Network is a departure from our past because it is organized as a separate strategic business line, not an extension of a hospital, docking-in to the Tufts Medicine Chief Physician Executive. It elevates the physician voice as Network "owners," with authority to drive strategy, allocate resources, and design care models across Tufts Medicine. The Chair of the Network Board will represent you on the Tufts Medicine system Board with a voice equal to the hospital Board Chairs. And, the Network will organize local care teams in regions to manage the health of populations and build smart systems of care that deliver superior experiences across episodes of service. We will brand the Network soon.

Interim Network President

Emily Young will serve as Interim President of our new Clinically Integrated Network, providing strong executive leadership while a national search for a permanent president is completed. 

Emily currently serves as Executive Director of the Lowell General PHO and Vice President for Population Health and Transformation at Circle Health. She will work with the Clinically Integrated Network's Board, the senior leadership team at NEQCA, and Local Care Organization (LCO) leadership to chart the organization's initial course and stand-up its management systems.

We have great confidence in Emily. During her interim leadership of the new Network, Emily has the authority and accountability to lead boldly in pursuit of the Network's initial contracts and goals. Emily is a thoughtful, inclusive and strategic leader who served on the team that brought the new Network from a set of ideals defined by physicians to a ready-to-launch enterprise. We are delighted that she will continue to provide that leadership as we operationalize our new Network.

Upcoming Forums

As you can see, there is a great deal of momentum for the Clinically Integrated Network. We want to make sure you have the latest information, as well as to provide you with opportunities to ask questions and provide input. We will hold informational forums over the coming three weeks. Please look for an invitation with details coming to your email box soon. 

This is an exciting time for physicians across Tufts Medicine but also for our market. We are delivering on the promise of what is needed and what is possible. We are so very grateful for the insights and support you have provided already and hope you will join us in supporting Emily and the entire team of our bold Network.

Sincerely,

Michael Wagner, MD

Tufts Medicine Chief Physician Executive

and the Physician Members of the Network Formation Committee:

Craig Best, MD

Michele Crage, MD

David Criss, MD

Dan Driscoll, MD

Bill Galvin, MD

Mark Gilchrist, MD

Ted Herwig, MD

Michael Jiser, MD

Kelli Kennedy, MD

Frank Osborn, MD

Tushar Patel, MD

David Pickul, MD

Peter Roman, MD

Eric Silverman, MD