Some of the biggest healthcare systems serving New Yorks most populous borough are looking into a merger that among other things would build a state of the artand shareddigital healthcare network. But the cost wont be cheap.
A business development and consulting arm of Northwell Health has completed a feasibility report for the New York Department of Health that would look at combining the four largest hospitals serving Brooklyn, which has a population of about 2.6 million. Northwell operates a health system with an $11 billion annual operating budget, 6,675 hospital and long-term care beds, 3,900 physicians and 15,000 nurses
Combining Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center, Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, Interfaith Medical Center and Wyckoff Heights Medical Center into a single shared health system has the potential to save as much as $500 million annually and about $1.8 billion over multiple years, says the Northwell report.
A series of public hearings and board meetings has been set up by the respective hospitals to review the results of the feasibility study, says the New York Department of Health. Brookdale held a public meeting attended by about 300 people from its staff and the community, the hospital says.
There has been no timetable yet for any permanent merger of the four Brooklyn hospitals, the state says.
New York State has allocated some funding, but it wouldnt pay for the total cost of creating a single system, a process that could take five years to seven years, says the feasibility report. The state legislature in 2015 authorized $700 million to begin to restructure healthcare delivery in Brooklyn.
Northwell didnt provide a total cost of the project, but did provide some detail on the cost of building a shared digital healthcare networkbetween $140 million to $190 million. The higher figure represents 27.1% of the money already earmarked by the state. The new health system will need to make critical infrastructure investments in technology applications and equipment to provide a strong foundation for clinical and operational integrity and program growth, the report says.
Any integrated health system in addition would have to spend between $8 million and $10 million to hire, train or retain a digitally savvy healthcare information technology employee base, Northwell says.The merged health system would also need to acquire and integrate advanced telehealth and digitally enabled capabilities to enhance access to care, the report says.
If an integrated health system is created it would potentially have a base of 1,470 beds.