Boston Business Journal announces 2014 Best Places to Work winners
by Eric Convey

The Boston Business Journal today announced the 2014 Best Places to Work, a list of companies whose employees had the best things to say about their employers in confidential surveys.

“Our Best Places to Work event will again recognize the importance of cultivating a great workplace culture as a competitive advantage," said Chris McIntosh, publisher of the Boston Business Journal. "Companies on our list can be justifiably proud of creating a high level of workplace satisfaction during an economy where traditional rewards like big raises and bonuses aren't as easy to give. In good times and in bad, our results validate how the creation of the right corporate culture can create powerful business advantages. Employees are proud to work for companies that are about more than just business.”

by Elliot Silver on Apr 29, 2014

Lowell, Massachusetts, April 29, 2014 – Designed to rate how well hospitals protect patients from accidents, errors, injuries and infections, the latest Hospital Safety Score honored Lowell General Hospital with an “A” – its top grade in patient safety. The Hospital Safety Score is compiled under the guidance of the nation’s leading experts on patient safety and is administered by The Leapfrog Group (Leapfrog), an independent industry watchdog. The first and only hospital safety rating to be peer-reviewed in the Journal of Patient Safety, the Score is free to the public and designed to give consumers information they can use to protect themselves and their families when facing a hospital stay.

Tufts, Lowell hospital uniting Tentative deal adds to trend in health alliances
By Robert Weisman  | Globe Staff   April 14, 2014

Tufts Medical Center and Lowell General Hospital are joining forces to form a new health care system they say will offer lower-cost medical services from Southern New Hampshire to south of Boston at a time of changes sweeping through the industry.

The alliance would link a 415-bed Boston teaching hospital that has been scrambling for a niche in the fast-consolidating market with one of the state’s largest community hospitals. Lowell General, which two years ago took over a crosstown rival, Saints Memorial Medical Center, has 434 beds on two campuses.

Braintree, Mass. – The Massachusetts Council of Community Hospitals (MCCH) announces Steven Walsh as its new executive director. Walsh currently serves as State Representative for the 11th Essex District and is the House Chairman of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing. He will begin his new role at MCCH in March. 

“Steve will ensure that MCCH continues to advocate for the advancement of community medicine and community hospitals throughout the state,” said Donald Thieme, who has served as executive director for the past 12 years. 

Formed in 1991, MCCH is a non-profit corporation that advocates for the Commonwealth’s community hospitals, which play a vital role in providing convenient, high-quality health care at a reasonable cost. Massachusetts community hospitals care for 50% of acute care patients in the Commonwealth. MCCH consists of 17 community hospitals from throughout the state.