CONTACT: Jeff Hall | 617.281.8384 | jeff.hall@1199.org
QUINCY, MA – Healthcare workers at Quincy Medical Center are concerned that the city is in danger of losing its only hospital and its only emergency room.
They say an affiliation deal between Granite Medical Group (GMG) and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center-Milton (BIDMC-Milton) that was announced in October 2012 is pushing Quincy’s only community hospital to the brink.
As a result of that deal, caregivers say GMG referrals to Quincy’s only community hospital have been essentially choked off, bleeding the hospital of commercially insured patients and dealing a visible blow to overall patient volume.
Healthcare workers at Quincy Medical Center say they take pride in the excellent care delivered at the hospital, but they fear that despite high quality ratings, the community hospital may not overcome the “mass exporting” of patients to more expensive facilities outside Quincy by GMG.
If Granite continues to refer patients overwhelmingly to higher cost facilities outside of Quincy, such as BIDMC-Milton, caregivers say Quincy Medical Center’s future could be in jeopardy.
WHO: Local healthcare workers concerned about the future of Quincy Medical Center
WHAT: Kickoff of a public information campaign regarding how Granite Medical Group’s business tactics are hurting our community hospital
WHEN: Tuesday, March 11, 12:30 p.m EST
WHERE: 500 Congress Street, Quincy, MA
Caregivers first protested the deal between GMG and BIDMC publicly in September of last year after seeing the initial effect it was having on Quincy Medical Center.
Now, caregivers say, the situation is growing dire.
“Granite Medical Group has refused to even have a conversation with local caregivers about what their business tactics are doing to our community hospital, because they know they’re in the wrong on this issue,” said Gale Martell, a Blood Bank Technical Specialist who has worked at Quincy Medical Center for 37 years.
“As caregivers, we feel that patients need to come first over the almighty dollar, and patients are going to suffer if Granite drives out our city’s only emergency room,” said Janette Mortimer a principal clerk who has worked at Quincy Medical Center for 17 years.
Caregivers have sought a meeting with GMG executives in part to ask them to disclose the terms of their deal with BIDMC – the deal caregivers say could prove toxic to the overall health of the city if Quincy Medical Center is forced to close. (See attached letter from 1199SEIU.)
Granite executives have refused to meet with caregivers and have not disclosed what it is being paid by BIDMC as part of the deal struck in October 2012.
Now, local caregivers are pushing back in an effort to save their hospital.
On Tuesday, March 11, caregivers will begin a series of public outreach actions, including demonstrations and leafleting at Granite Medical Group offices. Caregivers will also deliver their message to the public through upcoming outreach efforts at Quincy shopping areas and area transit stations.
Caregivers will begin distributing an open letter to Granite patients and Quincy residents (also attached) on Tuesday emphasizing the quality services available at Quincy Medical Center and educating the public about the fiscal challenges presented to the hospital by Granite’s new business model.
Local caregivers are also preparing billboards, lawn signs, a website (QuincyCares.org) and other paid advertising materials to amplify their message that Granite Medical Group is jeopardizing the future of emergency and hospital care access in Quincy.
By referring patients to BIDMC-Milton, caregivers also allege that GMG is driving up consumer costs. BIDMC-Milton is a generally more expensive facility than Quincy Medical Center. Caregivers say these types of referral patterns are a “quiet driver” of overall insurance cost increases for consumers across the state.
GMG is also affiliated directly with Atrius Health, one of the most expensive healthcare providers in Massachusetts.
# # #
Representing nearly 50,000 healthcare workers throughout Massachusetts and nearly 400,000 workers across the East Coast, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East is the largest and fastest-growing healthcare union in America. Our mission is to achieve affordable, high quality healthcare for all. 1199SEIU is part of the 2.1 million member Service Employees International Union.
QUINCY, MA – Healthcare workers at Quincy Medical Center are concerned that the city is in danger of losing its only hospital and its only emergency room.
They say an affiliation deal between Granite Medical Group (GMG) and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center-Milton (BIDMC-Milton) that was announced in October 2012 is pushing Quincy’s only community hospital to the brink.
As a result of that deal, caregivers say GMG referrals to Quincy’s only community hospital have been essentially choked off, bleeding the hospital of commercially insured patients and dealing a visible blow to overall patient volume.
Healthcare workers at Quincy Medical Center say they take pride in the excellent care delivered at the hospital, but they fear that despite high quality ratings, the community hospital may not overcome the “mass exporting” of patients to more expensive facilities outside Quincy by GMG.
If Granite continues to refer patients overwhelmingly to higher cost facilities outside of Quincy, such as BIDMC-Milton, caregivers say Quincy Medical Center’s future could be in jeopardy.
WHO: Local healthcare workers concerned about the future of Quincy Medical Center
WHAT: Kickoff of a public information campaign regarding how Granite Medical Group’s business tactics are hurting our community hospital
WHEN: Tuesday, March 11, 12:30 p.m EST
WHERE: 500 Congress Street, Quincy, MA
Caregivers first protested the deal between GMG and BIDMC publicly in September of last year after seeing the initial effect it was having on Quincy Medical Center.
Now, caregivers say, the situation is growing dire.
“Granite Medical Group has refused to even have a conversation with local caregivers about what their business tactics are doing to our community hospital, because they know they’re in the wrong on this issue,” said Gale Martell, a Blood Bank Technical Specialist who has worked at Quincy Medical Center for 37 years.
“As caregivers, we feel that patients need to come first over the almighty dollar, and patients are going to suffer if Granite drives out our city’s only emergency room,” said Janette Mortimer a principal clerk who has worked at Quincy Medical Center for 17 years.
Caregivers have sought a meeting with GMG executives in part to ask them to disclose the terms of their deal with BIDMC – the deal caregivers say could prove toxic to the overall health of the city if Quincy Medical Center is forced to close. (See attached letter from 1199SEIU.)
Granite executives have refused to meet with caregivers and have not disclosed what it is being paid by BIDMC as part of the deal struck in October 2012.
Now, local caregivers are pushing back in an effort to save their hospital.
On Tuesday, March 11, caregivers will begin a series of public outreach actions, including demonstrations and leafleting at Granite Medical Group offices. Caregivers will also deliver their message to the public through upcoming outreach efforts at Quincy shopping areas and area transit stations.
Caregivers will begin distributing an open letter to Granite patients and Quincy residents (also attached) on Tuesday emphasizing the quality services available at Quincy Medical Center and educating the public about the fiscal challenges presented to the hospital by Granite’s new business model.
Local caregivers are also preparing billboards, lawn signs, a website (QuincyCares.org) and other paid advertising materials to amplify their message that Granite Medical Group is jeopardizing the future of emergency and hospital care access in Quincy.
By referring patients to BIDMC-Milton, caregivers also allege that GMG is driving up consumer costs. BIDMC-Milton is a generally more expensive facility than Quincy Medical Center. Caregivers say these types of referral patterns are a “quiet driver” of overall insurance cost increases for consumers across the state.
GMG is also affiliated directly with Atrius Health, one of the most expensive healthcare providers in Massachusetts.
# # #
Representing nearly 50,000 healthcare workers throughout Massachusetts and nearly 400,000 workers across the East Coast, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East is the largest and fastest-growing healthcare union in America. Our mission is to achieve affordable, high quality healthcare for all. 1199SEIU is part of the 2.1 million member Service Employees International Union.
