Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • ESG: THE IMPLEMENTATION IMPERATIVE
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Current News
    • Providers
    • Insurance
    • Digital Health
    • Government
    • Finance
    • Technology
    • Safety & Quality
    • Transformation
    • People
    • Regional News
    • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Patients
    • Operations
    • Care Delivery
    • Payment
    • Midwest
    • Northeast
    • South
    • West
  • Unwell in America
  • Opinion
    • Bold Moves
    • Breaking Bias
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Vital Signs Blog
    • From the Editor
  • Events & Awards
    • Awards
    • Conferences
    • Galas
    • Virtual Briefings
    • Webinars
    • Nominate/Eligibility
    • 100 Most Influential People
    • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
    • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
    • Excellence in Governance
    • Health Care Hall of Fame
    • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
    • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
    • Top 25 Innovators
    • Diversity in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
      • - Leaders to Watch
    • Women in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Women Leaders
      • - Women to Watch
    • Digital Health Transformation Summit
    • ESG: The Implementation Imperative Summit
    • Leadership Symposium
    • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
    • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
    • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
    • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
    • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
    • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
    • - Hospital of the Future
    • - Value Based Care
    • - Hospital at Home
    • - Workplace of the Future
    • - Digital Health
    • - Future of Staffing
    • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
  • Multimedia
    • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
    • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
    • Video Series - The Check Up
    • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
  • Data Center
    • Data Center Home
    • Hospital Financials
    • Staffing & Compensation
    • Quality & Safety
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Data Archive
    • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
    • Surveys
    • Data Points
  • MORE+
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Media Kit
    • Newsletters
    • Jobs
    • People on the Move
    • Reprints & Licensing
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Hospital Systems
May 04, 2022 02:19 PM

Mass General Brigham gets green light for slimmer expansion

Alex Kacik
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
    Copy of Mass general Institutional-Image_i.jpg

    The Massachusetts Public Health Council approved a pared-down version of Mass General Brigham's $2 billion expansion amid opposition from state watchdogs.

    The council on Wednesday green-lit a 482-bed inpatient tower at Massachusetts General Hospital and a 78-bed addition to Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital. It denied Mass General Brigham's request for 94 new licensed inpatient beds and a PET/MR scanner at Mass General Hospital.

    The expansions, including the 94 net new beds at Mass General Hospital, were expected to increase Massachusetts' healthcare spending for its commercially insured residents by $36.7 million to $62.3 million per year, according to the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission.

    The original Mass General Hospital proposal would have increased state healthcare costs by up to $54.4 million a year, the commission found. Removing 94 net new beds would mitigate cost inflation concerns, council staff said during its meeting Wednesday.

    Boston-based Mass General Brigham, the largest health system in the state, said that it has been running at full capacity. The Mass General Hospital expansion would allow the vast majority of its inpatient beds to be housed in private rooms and the Faulkner project would help move patients from its higher-cost academic medical center, where it can care for the sickest patients, executives said. They also noted the rapidly aging population and the correlated rising demand for higher-acuity care.

    Public Health Council staff agreed with those claims, noting that Mass General Brigham would be held to certain conditions, including providing more than $100 million in community benefit funding and regularly updating staff with utilization and patient acuity data.

    "We are pleased the Public Health Council has approved two transformative projects at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital, clearing the way for both hospitals to enter the final planning phase," Dr. Anne Klibanski, CEO of Mass General Brigham, said in a statement.

    Mass General Hospital currently has 1,043 inpatient beds—388 of which will be transfered to private rooms in the new tower—while Faulkner has 133. Mass Gen was operating at 92% capacity and the Faulkner hospital was operating at 87% in 2019, the system said.

    Councilmembers asked whether Mass General Brigham would be able to staff the additional beds amid the national staffing shortage. They also questioned the need for additional inpatient beds over the long-term, given the transition to home and outpatient care.

    "By the time we are ready to recruit staff (to Faulkner hospital) by late 2024 and early 2025, we hope that most of these market pressures on staffing are relieved mostly," David McCready, president of Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital, said during the meeting.

    Mass General Brigham "constantly has more demand than available beds," he said. The Mass General Hospital project is expected to be completed in five to seven years.

    Outside of the inpatient bed expansions, the Mass General Hospital project would also add oncology infusion bays, cardiology operating rooms and imaging equipment. The Faulkner hospital project includes an eight-bed observation unit, imaging equipment and shell space for future expansion. The $150 million Faulkner project would increase costs by up to $7.9 million a year, HPC's analysis shows.

    Several city and state public officials supported the projects during the meeting.

    "The (Faulkner) project will expand (Mass General Brigham's) ability to provide high-quality healthcare and reduce long wait times for inpatient beds," Chelsea City Manager Thomas Abrosino said.

    Mass General Brigham pulled its plans last month to add three new suburban ambulatory sites after the state health department didn't endorse the project. The $223.7 million project would have increased annual healthcare costs by up to $27.9 million a year, the HPC said.

    The Mass General Hospital and Faulkner expansions will allow Mass General Brigham to increase its prices, which is the main driver behind the system's disproportionately high annual spending growth, the commission found.

    "Mass General Brigham has a spending problem," HPC Chair Dr. Stuart Altman said during the commission's January board meeting. "Continuing in this manner is likely to impact the state's ability to meet its spending benchmark and could do serious harm to the structure of the state's delivery system."

    The HPC ordered Mass General Brigham to come up with a plan by May 16 to reduce its costs, which exceeded the commission's spending growth benchmark by $293 million from 2014 to 2019.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Send us a letter

    Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor, and we may publish it in print.

    Recommended for You
    Dr. Joseph Cacchione
    Jefferson Health consolidates organization amid financial challenges
    Most Popular
    1
    More healthcare organizations at risk of credit default, Moody's says
    2
    Centene fills out senior executive team with new president, COO
    3
    SCAN, CareOregon plan to merge into the HealthRight Group
    4
    Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan unveils big push that lets physicians take on risk, reap rewards
    5
    Bright Health weighs reverse stock split as delisting looms
    Sponsored Content
    Modern Healthcare A.M. Newsletter: Sign up to receive a comprehensive weekday morning newsletter designed for busy healthcare executives who need the latest and most important healthcare news and analysis.
    Get Newsletters

    Sign up for enewsletters and alerts to receive breaking news and in-depth coverage of healthcare events and trends, as they happen, right to your inbox.

    Subscribe Today
    MH Magazine Cover

    MH magazine offers content that sheds light on healthcare leaders’ complex choices and touch points—from strategy, governance, leadership development and finance to operations, clinical care, and marketing.

    Subscribe
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Modern Healthcare empowers industry leaders to succeed by providing unbiased reporting of the news, insights, analysis and data.

    Contact Us

    (877) 812-1581

    Email us

     

    Resources
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Editorial Dept
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Code of Ethics
    • Awards
    • About Us
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Modern Healthcare
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Current News
      • Providers
      • Insurance
      • Digital Health
      • Government
      • Finance
      • Technology
      • Safety & Quality
      • Transformation
        • Patients
        • Operations
        • Care Delivery
        • Payment
      • People
      • Regional News
        • Midwest
        • Northeast
        • South
        • West
      • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Unwell in America
    • Opinion
      • Bold Moves
      • Breaking Bias
      • Commentaries
      • Letters
      • Vital Signs Blog
      • From the Editor
    • Events & Awards
      • Awards
        • Nominate/Eligibility
        • 100 Most Influential People
        • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
        • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
        • Excellence in Governance
        • Health Care Hall of Fame
        • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
        • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
        • Top 25 Innovators
        • Diversity in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
          • - Leaders to Watch
        • Women in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Women Leaders
          • - Women to Watch
      • Conferences
        • Digital Health Transformation Summit
        • ESG: The Implementation Imperative Summit
        • Leadership Symposium
        • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
        • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
      • Galas
        • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
        • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
        • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
        • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
      • Virtual Briefings
        • - Hospital of the Future
        • - Value Based Care
        • - Hospital at Home
        • - Workplace of the Future
        • - Digital Health
        • - Future of Staffing
        • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
      • Webinars
    • Multimedia
      • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
      • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
      • Video Series - The Check Up
      • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
    • Data Center
      • Data Center Home
      • Hospital Financials
      • Staffing & Compensation
      • Quality & Safety
      • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Data Archive
      • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
      • Surveys
      • Data Points
    • MORE+
      • Contact Us
      • Advertise
      • Media Kit
      • Newsletters
      • Jobs
      • People on the Move
      • Reprints & Licensing