South Shore Hospital in Weymouth has agreed to become a member of the Partners HealthCare medical system in a deal that falls short of an outright merger, according to a memoradum of understanding released Thursday by the hospital, Partners HealthCare, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Under the agreement, South Shore Hospital would become part of Partners, but keep its name and remain an independently licensed, not-for-profit health care provider. The hospital would maintain its own board of directors, medical staff, community connections, and fund-raising activities.
Comments
I hope this is not the article to be published in the print edition, since it is so incomplete. What does it mean to become part of Partners but not be governed by the Partners Board? How does that differ from the relationships that Partners' other hospitals have with the system? Also, the membership of Partners cited is way incomplete. Spaulding Rehabilitation Network, Nantucket Cottage Hospital and Martha's Vineyard Hospital are in the Partners fold, and Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Western Massachusetts is about to become part of Partners. It's important to report these facts.