ATRIUS HEALTH AND VNA CARE NETWORK & HOSPICE SIGN STRATEGIC AGREEMENT
Furthering shared mission to provide high quality coordinated ambulatory and home care in Eastern and Central Massachusetts

NEWTON, November 1, 2011—Atrius Health and the VNA Care Network & Hospice (VNA Care) have signed a strategic agreement through which VNA Care will be the preferred provider of visiting nurses, home care and hospice care for patients of all Atrius Health sites, beginning with those served by Dedham Medical Associates, Reliant Medical Group (formerly Fallon Clinic), Southboro Medical Group and six of the Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates’ sites.

Under this agreement, the two non-profit organizations will also work together to find new and better ways to better coordinate home health services with ambulatory care to improve care for patients and their caregivers. This agreement will allow Atrius Health, a nonprofit alliance of six medical groups (Dedham Medical Associates, Granite Medical Group, Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, Reliant Medical Group, South Shore Medical Center, and Southboro Medical Group) serving almost 1 million patients in Eastern and Central Massachusetts, to further its leadership in providing patient-centered care that is coordinated and led by the primary care physician and a team of clinicians working with specialists across multiple settings of care, including the physicians’ offices, hospital, home, and hospice.

VNA Care is recognized for its outstanding quality and patient service, including being named to the 2009, 2010 and 2011 HomeCare Elite, a compilation of the top-performing home health agencies in the United States and receiving the Pinnacle Award for Patient Satisfaction multiple times from Visiting Nurse Associations of New England. VNA Care Network and Hospice offers more than 70 programs and services including a full complement of IV therapy services, an extensive array of disease management and specialty services including diabetes, wound care, fall prevention, geriatric care, joint replacement therapies, maternal child health/early maternity discharge, and medication management.  They serve patients from Cambridge to Central Massachusetts and will continue to provide care for patients served by other medical practices.

“Our patients have been receiving outstanding care from the VNA Care Network for many years. The VNA Care Network has a long history of innovation and we could not have found a better partner as together we look for new ways to make it easy for our patients to be healthy,” said Atrius Health CEO Dr. Gene Lindsey.

“Atrius Health shares our mission and philosophy of providing coordinated care for our patients and doing what we can to keep patients in their homes with the services and care they need,” said Karen Green, president and CEO of VNA Care Network. “We are delighted to strengthen our relationship with these leaders in quality of care.”

Over time, according to both organizations, the affiliation will enable the Atrius Health groups’ primary care physicians to better coordinate care beyond the doctor’s office with things like telephone visits, telehealth monitoring, physical and occupational therapy in the home, as well as culturally-competent care and a process for collaborative care planning and hospice care.  The two organizations will work together to develop and implement such innovative programs as Medical Home Models and programs for specific health concerns and populations. This alliance also strengthens both organizations as the federal and state governments develop and implement regulations guiding the formation of Accountable Care Organizations that are responsible for the quality and efficiency of care across multiple settings.

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