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Bringing Big City Care to the Milton Community
A closer look at the partnership between
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Milton Hospital
Three years ago the hospital met requirements to become an affiliate of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC). This affiliation provides an opportunity for collaborative clinical leadership and has allowed Milton Hospital to partner with one of the world's best health care institutions, positively impacting our ability to provide top-notch community-based health care.
A common misconception is that BIDMC owns Milton Hospital and this is not true. Milton Hospital is an independently owned and operated non-profit hospital with a volunteer Board of Directors from the community. The affiliation with BIDMC is more of a partnership, providing our patients with local access to certain medical specialists and experts. We are proud that our patients are able to receive care for a wider range of specialties close to home - exemplifying the effectiveness and need for community hospitals.
Specifically, our relationship with BIDMC has produced the following specialized programs:
Rapid Cardiac Transfer
The Rapid Cardiac Transfer program provides specialized care and an immediate transfer of certain cardiac patients from Milton Hospital to BIDMC, which boasts Boston's only all-digital catheterization lab. The cardiac catheterization laboratory at BIDMC is designed for patients undergoing coronary angiography, angioplasty, stent placement and other emergency cardiac procedures.
Cardiologists at both hospitals have developed joint protocols and procedures for patient care to ensure a smooth transition. Here's how it works - a patient arrives at our emergency department showing signs of a heart attack. Immediately they are assessed and treated at Milton Hospital. From there, doctors determine the severity of the attack and patients showing signs of major attacks will be stabilized and transferred via a dedicated Fallon Ambulance service from Milton Hospital's emergency department to Beth Israel Deaconess, bypassing their triage process.
The behind-the-scenes process of contacting Beth Israel Deaconess in advance with the patient assessment is a key part of this program. I'm always impressed when I hear that patients who visit Milton Hospital first and then transfer to BIDMC can in some instances receive emergency treatment faster then if they went directly into Boston.
Geriatrics
The Geriatrics Program, under the leadership of Virginia Cummings, M.D., emphasizes communication and links between seniors and the health care system, with the goal of enhancing the quality of care provided to the significant population of elderly citizens in the community. We have received wonderful feedback from family members of patients receiving geriatric care pertaining to the peace of mind they have knowing that their loved one is being cared for properly.
Dr. Cummings and new staff member, Min Keun Song, M.D., see inpatients on the medical and surgical services for geriatric issues including delirium, pre-operative evaluation of frail elderly, peri-operative management of medically complex elderly, depression, dementia, medication management, nutrition, palliative care and functional decline.
Emergency Care
Milton Hospital launched a partnership with Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians (HMFP) at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center to operate the Emergency Department - a move that is immediately resulted in shorter wait times during peak hours. The group brings with it the experience of treating in a major city emergency facility and offers new perspectives on improving care and service.
Cardiovascular Health
Six leading Milton Hospital physicians have affiliated with an innovative institute at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center that delivers documented, superior outcomes and better service to cardiovascular patients. Cardiologists Jon W. Cronin, MD, Philip J. Doherty, MD, Wing Kin Fung, MD, Mark T. Hodgman, MD, and Scott B. Lutch, MD, and vascular surgeon Gregory J. Kechejian, MD, have joined a network of community-based cardiologists connected with the CardioVascular Institute (CVI) at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. The practice is conveniently located on the Milton Hospital campus, where the physicians are all members of the medical staff.
Prostate Health
A joint venture in prostate cancer treatment has brought Boston hospital care to the local community. Together with Dr. Irving Kaplan, a radiation oncologist from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Milton Hospital offers brachytherapy, the implantation of radioactive seeds into the prostate that emit a three-month dose of radiation internally.
This form of treatment enables a patient to receive a higher dose of radiation than one can receive using traditional methods. The procedure only takes one hour, and for some patients, is an alternative to radical surgery, in which the prostate is completely removed. Brachytherapy treatment produces a low incidence of catheterization and lower incidence of impotence or incontinence than surgery can causes. Only light anesthesia is required, and overnight hospital stays are not normally necessary.
The prostate seed program coupled with Milton Hospital's purchase of the da Vinci surgical robot makes Milton Hospital an excellent resource for prostate health and provides different options for treating prostate cancer in the South Shore.
What's next?
Our BIDMC affiliation is helping Milton to establish a new standard for community hospital care. Close ties to BIDMC facilitate referrals to many of BIDMC's experts and specialists. In addition, BIDMC specialists routinely visit Milton Hospital to offer medical education programs for our medical staff. The affiliation takes the collaboration between two of the region's most respected health care institutions to a new level.
We look forward to developing new health care programs and identifying cutting edge practices that will drive our success in the future.
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