Case Study Analysis: Tufts-NEMC

Ellen Zane had her work cut out for her at Tufts-NEMC. The Tufts University affiliated teaching and research hospital had long been on the decline. It was mired in financial difficulty, was falling behind other teaching and research AMCs, and was not effectively serving its local community. Beginning on the day she accepted her position as CEO, Ellen Zane started on a path of reform. Upon learning that the hospital only had 10 months of cash on hand, she began brainstorming on how to make the hospital financially viable, starting by meeting payroll needs first. She discovered that Tufts-NEMC was being drastically underpaid and began looking for solutions to the problem of reimbursements. One of the more public actions she took was replacing seven members of the senior management team, sending a signal to her staff and hospital community at large that a major overhaul was underway. In an effort to gain approval, valuable feedback, and break down barriers with her staff, Ellen Zane successfully held town hall meetings with hospital staff. She even requested the input of patients on how Tufts-NEMC can improve its care. Retention was important to Ellen, retention of both employees, including physicians, and of patients. She went about restructuring hospital services and identifying areas for improvement. But there were also external problems, such as contract negotiations, network building, and the strengthening of the relationship with Tufts University. One significant achievement on this end was the merger with Primary Care LLC and the creation of New England Quality Care Alliance (NEQCA). The new NEQCA was now a major player among Boston area AMCs. Going forward, the name of the game must be sustainability and growth: forging ahead with growth and development while maintaining gains made. Great strides have been strategically