“The benefits of a combined health care system are even more compelling today, given the significant change in the economic environment since we first announced our intent to affiliate,” said George A. Vecchione, president and CEO of Lifespan. “In fact, our ability to continue to offer high quality, cost-effective care, provide and enhance good jobs and maintain a stable health system is more important than ever to help Rhode Island’s economy move into recovery and growth.”

More about the affiliation:

• Read the executive summary of the affiliation application (PDF)
• Learn more about its benefits
• Ask a question online

“Rhode Islanders want and deserve high quality care, which will only remain in the state if we are able to compete with hospitals in Boston that have expanded their reach into Rhode Island,” said John J. Hynes, Esq., president and CEO of Care New England. “Our first commitment is to ensure that the affiliation moves forward in a way that improves health care in our state so that patients stay in Rhode Island for care, and that enhances our ability to continue to attract federal research dollars into Rhode Island in an even more competitive environment.”

If approved, an affiliation will also place Lifespan, Care New England, and their member hospitals in a better position to withstand the challenging financial environment and anticipated additional changes with health care reform. A stronger financial footing through greater economies of scale and efficiency will allow member hospitals to focus anew on their missions, including continuing to invest in their communities to improve health status and health care access.

Commenting on the importance of the affiliation, Edward J. Wing, MD, dean of The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, said, “Lifespan and Care New England hospitals are important partners with Brown in fulfilling our academic and research missions. The coming together of these two systems will go a long way to enhance research activities and develop academic programs in our state.”

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has twice successfully cleared the federal regulatory requirements regarding the Lifespan and Care New England affiliation. The FTC’s authority is to look at whether mergers violate federal anti-trust standards. If the FTC believes that a merger may substantially lessen competition in a given marketplace, it can block the merger while it pursues a deeper investigation. In 2007 and in 2008, the parties filed for pre-merger clearance, and each time the affiliation was cleared following an intensive investigation that included analysis of competitive data.

The application to affiliate contains nearly 110,000 pages. The next step in the Hospital Conversions Act application process is for the Attorney General and Department of Health to review the application during the next 30 calendar days to determine if it is complete. If there are questions, Lifespan and Care New England have 30 business days to respond. The two state offices then have 10 business days to determine if the application is complete. If accepted, the Attorney General has up to 30 additional business days to rule on any confidentiality issues. Within 180 days, the state will hold public hearings and make a determination on the affiliation.

“We welcome the opportunity to discuss the benefits of this affiliation with the public and to work with state regulators and elected officials to complete this process,” said Vecchione and Hynes.

About Lifespan
Lifespan, a not-for-profit organization, is Rhode Island’s largest health care system. Formed in 1994, it includes Rhode Island Hospital and its Hasbro Children’s Hospital; The Miriam Hospital; Bradley Hospital and Newport Hospital. Lifespan (www.lifespan.org) is the state’s largest private employer, with more than 11,800 employees, and is affiliated with The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Lifespan hospitals are among the top recipients in the country of research funding from the National Institutes of Health. The hospitals received nearly $74 million in total research funding in fiscal 2008. All Lifespan-affiliated hospitals are charitable organizations that depend on support from the community to provide programs and services.

About Care New England
Care New England, located in Providence, was founded in 1996 by Butler Hospital, Kent Hospital and Women & Infants Hospital. Care New England is a not-for-profit health care system that offers a continuum of quality care. Our system includes two teaching hospitals affiliated with The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Butler and Women & Infants; a community hospital, Kent; a visiting nurse and home care/hospice agency, Care New England Home Health; and one Care New England Wellness Center. Care New England has 6,612 employees, 1,573 physicians, 613 licensed beds and 162 infant bassinets (FY08). For more information about Care New England, please visit www.carenewengland.org.

“The overwhelming success of our inaugural Pursuit of Excellence Dinner demonstrates the importance of Rhode Island Hospital’s role in the community,” said Timothy J. Babineau, MD, RIH president and chief executive officer. “Philanthropic efforts and the generosity of our supporters are vital to helping Rhode Island Hospital achieve its mission as a non-profit academic medical center, and to helping us fund our clinical programs and services.”

The theme of the event - Where Would Rhode Island Be Without Rhode Island Hospital? - reinforced the hospital’s impact on the community, from care and treatment of patients to its role as a leading academic medical center; from its position at the core of a growing knowledge- and life sciences-based economy, to its role as the largest partner in the Lifespan system, which is the largest private employer in the state.

The evening also included recognition of three champions for their commitment and dedication to Rhode Island Hospital. Lawrence A. Aubin Sr., chairman of the RIH Board of Trustees, was named Individual Champion; Amica Insurance was named Corporate Champion; and Team Tarro, Inc. was named Community Champion.

Lawrence A. Aubin Sr. has been involved with Rhode Island Hospital since 1991, when he joined the capital campaign to build Hasbro Children’s Hospital. A board member for 15 years, Aubin was named chairman of the board in 2007. He has given immeasurable gifts of time and talent to Rhode Island Hospital.

Amica Insurance has a long history of supporting the mission and vision of Rhode Island Hospital - dedicating resources to provide patients in the community with access to the highest quality care. Amica’s recent support of The Carter Clinical Educator for Nursing Professional Development and Research position exemplifies its ongoing support of the academic mission of the hospital.

After receiving her own devastating diagnosis, Mary E. Tarro founded Team Tarro, Inc. to raise funds to support local efforts in battling breast cancer. Tarro rallied her friends, family and coworkers to support her fundraisers - a 5k walk and wine tasting. Through these events, Team Tarro, Inc., raised tens of thousands of dollars to generously support The Anne C. Pappas Center for Breast Imaging at Rhode Island Hospital. Tarro lost her courageous fight with cancer in May 2009. Since her passing, Team Tarro, Inc. has been flooded with donations and presented an additional $15,000 gift for the Pappas Center to Dr. Babineau at the dinner.

The certification was created in 2008 by the Commission on Dietitian Registration and the American Dietitians Association. Currently, only 218 registered dietitians in the country have been certified as specialists in oncology nutrition.

This credential provides Pasquazzi and Robinson with a unique knowledge of how cancer and its treatment affects a patient’s nutrition status. They also evaluate a patient’s lifestyle practices, including age-specific requirements and nutrition treatment goals. They then work with the patient to suggest modifications and strategies to optimize quality of life.

“The training and education Karen and Lisa have received to become certified as specialists in oncology nutrition are a great benefit to our cancer patients at Rhode Island Hospital,” said Katherine Pennington, director of food and nutrition services at RIH. “Many patients don’t think about the impact their food choices will have on cancer treatment, but Karen and Lisa provide patients with the knowledge and tools they need to make informed choices that will help improve their quality of life and work in concert with their treatment.”

Pasquazzi, of Cranston, has worked in food and nutrition services at Rhode Island Hospital since 1978, and as a senior dietitian since 1987. She has also provided nutrition counseling to Ocean State Community Resources; Avatar, Inc.; Health Concepts, Ltd.; the Center for Medical Weight Management; and Medical Homes of Rhode Island. She earned her bachelor’s degree in nutrition and dietetics from the University of Rhode Island.

Robinson, of Barrington, has worked at Rhode Island Hospital as a clinical dietitian since 1988. Prior to joining RIH, she served as a dietitian at Christian Hospital Health Technologies, Inc., in St. Louis, MO; Cambridge Hospital, Cambridge, MA; Boston City Hospital, Boston, MA; Harper-Grace Hospitals, Detroit, MI; and Hunt Memorial Hospital in Danvers, MA. She received her bachelor’s degree in nutrition and dietetics from the University of Rhode Island.

Rhode Island Hospital is the only Level 1 trauma center in the region. Without our services, the thousands of trauma victims we treat each year would be forced to go to hospitals in Boston or New Haven, creating critical delays in medical care and, consequently, poorer outcomes. Similarly, we have the only burn program in the region, providing victims of fire, chemical, electrical and other burns with the immediate medical treatment necessary to save their lives. Our adult and pediatric emergency departments are among the busiest in the country. The resources required to keep these key services operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week are significant and often not well reimbursed, but they are essential to our academic mission. The recent opening of Rhode Island Expresscare—which in its first week facilitated the transfer of 117 complex patients to our hospital—speaks further to the uniqueness of our mission.

Patients, however, come to Rhode Island Hospital for much more than emergency medical treatment. Each year, we provide complex care for tens of thousands of patients in the specialty areas of orthopedics, kidney disease, cardiovascular medicine, diagnostic imaging, neurosciences, and cancer care for both adults and children. Our mission as an academic medical center requires us to stay on the cutting edge of the latest technologies and treatments, and our patients come here expecting just that. Staying at the leading edge of technological advances in medicine requires significant resources and, for that reason, the mantra “no margin, no mission” is a reality for us.

While the majority of Rhode Island Hospital patients come from the state and surrounding communities, we also treat patients from all over the country and the world. Our patients include those who can afford to travel to receive the best medical care available, as well as those who are jobless, homeless, underinsured and uninsured. Rhode Island Hospital treats all patients, regardless of their ability to pay. This is both a moral and societal obligation, and one that we take seriously. These challenging economic times have brought even more strain on this part of our mission, but we remain unwavering in our commitment to serve our community, our state and our region.

Through its 20-year partnership with The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Rhode Island Hospital continues to attract top physicians from around the country who choose to make Rhode Island Hospital their academic home. These physicians not only provide superb patient care, but also help create an environment where intellectual curiosity and creating new knowledge are fostered, encouraged and promoted. This environment is the underpinning of any successful academic medical center and serves as a magnet for research dollars that would otherwise not come to the hospital or the state. Going forward, and in our continued partnership with The Warren Alpert Medical School, Rhode Island Hospital will further strengthen its research portfolio as it seeks to raise its national profile.

Recently, a story in the Providence Journal outlined Mayor David Cicilline’s goal of building a “knowledge-based economy” in Providence. We support that goal and recognize the central role Rhode Island Hospital – as both a life sciences research leader and a teaching hospital – will play in realizing that vision. If you look around the country at the prominent and thriving capital cities, they all have one thing in common: a major academic medical center serving as the linchpin of their life-sciences and knowledge-based economic strategy. Rhode Island Hospital has the potential to play a similar role here in Providence.

Finally, as one of the state’s largest private employers, Rhode Island Hospital is a major contributor to the economic engine for the region. We provide thousands of jobs that pay competitive rates and offer opportunities for career advancement. Through our partnership with local colleges, universities, middle and high schools, as well as our youth employment program, we provide a training ground for those in our community seeking a better way in life. In so doing, Rhode Island Hospital also ensures its future success by constantly reinvigorating its vibrant and committed workforce.

As the saying goes, “To whom much has been given, much is expected.” Rhode Island Hospital has been “given” a lot and gives a lot in return. And as the region’s leading academic medical center, we have an opportunity and an obligation to be the best – the best in patient care, the best in education and the best in research. Through our partnership with Brown’s medical school and the continued commitment of our talented nurses, doctors and employees, we will be just that—the best !!