Tufts Medicine includes Lowell General Hospital, MelroseWakefield Hospital, Tufts Medical Center, Home Health Foundation and a network of more than 2,000 physicians. Local hospitals within the system will operate under their respective names in conjunction with the Tufts Medicine name.
The Tufts Medicine name was selected to better reflect the system’s shared identity, its close relationship with Tufts University, and its commitment to unite the best of both academic and community healthcare and deliver a complete connected care experience when, where and how consumers want it.
“Consumers have told us that they want more than the healthcare industry is currently delivering. They want an affordable, high-quality experience that anticipates and seamlessly orchestrates all their care needs no matter who or where they are,” said Michael Dandorph, Tufts Medicine CEO and President. “Our teams have embraced this challenge to reimagine healthcare and do it as one high-quality, clinically integrated and digitally connected health system. The pandemic reinforced for us that a more equitable and consumer-centric approach to healthcare is urgently needed, and we have the greatest power to lead this change when we work together, side by side with a ‘one team’ mindset.”
The system identity change follows Dr. Helen Boucher’s joint appointment as Interim Dean of Tufts University School of Medicine and Chief Academic Officer of Tufts Medicine. "Sharing this name signals the alignment between the university and the health system from an educational, research and clinical translation point of view,” said Tufts University President Dr. Anthony P. Monaco. “The name Tufts Medicine signifies that the university and the whole system is committed to advancing our academic missions, and together we will improve the healthcare of patients and their wider communities by building on the best practices of academic medicine and expanding teaching and research opportunities throughout the system.”
“Our mission at Wellforce has been to provide the very best care as close to the consumer as possible – in their towns, neighborhoods and even their homes,” said Jody White, President and CEO of Lowell General Hospital, a founding member of the system. “We’ve made great progress, especially with our clinical collaborations, but there is more to do. With one name we can show our diverse communities that 15,000 people are working in unison every day in ways that are highly personalized to improve their lives and their health.”
“Our talented and passionate people are the essence of our brand, and we are designing an environment that will offer the most rewarding experience to all caregivers. We are more focused than ever on their health and well-being and enabling their success, which we know will translate to even better consumer outcomes and experience,” said Michael Wagner, MD, Tufts Medicine chief physician executive.
The organization has been building a strong system foundation since its founding in 2014. Over the last two years under the leadership of CEO Michael Dandorph, Tufts Medicine has partnered with its physicians to align under one clinically integrated network, it has expanded its human resource offerings and brought together its information technology, financial services and several other functions designed to create a frictionless, destination workplace that enables our care teams. The system recently hired a Chief Consumer Officer from the consumer products industry.
The system has invested in and is developing major digital transformation initiatives to help consumers more easily navigate care while also easing the administrative burdens physicians and employees experience. In April, Tufts Medicine will be the first in the country to launch a systemwide electronic health record platform securely in the cloud through a unique partnership with Amazon Web Services. This, along with a series of other innovative healthcare applications, is designed to engage patients in highly personalized ways with enhanced reliability and speed.
For more information about Tufts Medicine and its future, visit tuftsmedicine.org.
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About Tufts Medicine
Tufts Medicine is a leading integrated health system bringing together the best of academic and community healthcare to deliver exceptional, connected and accessible care experiences to consumers across Massachusetts. Comprised of Tufts Medical Center, Lowell General Hospital, MelroseWakefield Hospital, Lawrence Memorial Hospital of Medford, an expansive home care network and a large integrated physician network. Tufts Medicine has more than 15,000 dedicated care team members providing more than 1.5 million patient experiences per year. The health system is the principal teaching affiliate for Tufts University School of Medicine. Tufts Medicine came together in 2014 to leverage the experience of its member organizations and integrate their missions to together transform the ways that consumers engage with and experience their care.
