BROCKTON - The local hospital has gone regional, taking with it a system of primary care physicians and medical centers to form a new, larger healthcare provider.
Brockton Hospital and its parent, Brockton Hospital Corp., will now be known as Signature Healthcare. It's more than just a name change.
The hospital and its School of Nursing will be more closely linked with the other medical practices the hospital corporation already owns, including Primary Care Affiliates, Women's Health Affiliates, and Brockton Specialty Physician Group, with the Brockton Hospital Foundation and the Ambassadors Club.
In addition, Bridgewater Goddard Park Medical Associates, the region's largest multi-site, multi-specialty physician group practice, intends to join Signature Healthcare in 2008, Brockton Hospital officials said.
The new system will be a larger company that keeps the same network of patients and doctors as a regional, multi-specialty provider.
"Signature Healthcare brings the people of our community one seamless, locally governed healthcare delivery system," Brockton Hospital and Signature Healthcare president Norman B. Goodman said last week.
Goodman said that demand for healthcare and specialized healthcare in the area has grown, and that the move to create one umbrella agency will help the company streamline its services to meet that demand. Having all the offices under one system will help strengthen the company, he said.
Initially, customers won't see a difference beyond the name change, Brockton Hospital officials said. But, eventually they will have the benefit of having the hospital part of a bigger network, with different specialties available within one system.
"We are a local system of care, with everyone working from the same medical record, tapping into the same electronic network of world-class resources and sharing a common vision to deliver uncompromising care," Goodman said.
Goodman announced the name change at the hospital's annual Ring of Champions dinner Thursday night. The dinner is the hospital's annual business meeting, but it includes community and business leaders who receive updates on the hospital.
"It's really a way for us to get in touch with community leaders, trustees, the business community, everyone who has a stake in Brockton Hospital," said Rob Brogna, head of marketing at Signature Healthcare.
He said the dinner was the best time to announce the restructuring, with local community leaders there to hear the plans firsthand.
New signs started going up soon after the meeting. Brockton Hospital and the individual medical facilities will keep their own names and identity, but they will be noted as a Signature Healthcare provider.
Brockton Hospital serves patients from more than 20 communities in Southeastern Massachusetts, and the outpatient department has 25 primary care and specialty clinics throughout the area. The School of Nursing has nearly 300 students.
