Fallon Clinic To Become Sixth Member of Atrius Health

Combined strengths will improve care quality and patient experience

In a move designed to improve efficiency and patient care, Atrius Health and Fallon Clinic announced today that Fallon Clinic is moving forward to become the sixth member of Atrius Health. Once an Atrius Health affiliate, Fallon Clinic will continue to function as a locally operated, multi-specialty medical group serving Central Massachusetts. Atrius Health is currently an alliance of five non-profit, community-based medical groups serving nearly 700,000 patients throughout Eastern Massachusetts.

This affiliation will allow Atrius Health and Fallon Clinic to share important infrastructure, best practices, and financial accountability, and to potentially increase services in their communities over time. Patients of Fallon Clinic and the other Atrius Health groups will continue to receive the same high quality care from their own physicians, at the same locations. As the affiliation evolves, patients will experience improvements that are the result of our combined efforts and resources.

“We are extremely excited about Fallon Clinic joining Atrius Health,” said Gene Lindsey, MD, President and CEO of Atrius Health. “With the addition of Fallon Clinic, we will be poised to demonstrate how physicians can lead the way to provide truly patient-centered care, more effectively manage the health care dollar, and offer enhanced care in the communities we serve.”

At a time when the state is beginning to shift toward a system of global payments under the Accountable Care Organization (ACO) model, Atrius Health is well positioned to be a successful physician-led ACO. “We will work well together because of our similar histories in managed care and our shared commitment to quality and patient-centered care,” Lindsey added.

 “Fallon Clinic and the Atrius Health groups share a similar history, culture and an unparalleled commitment to providing our patients with the highest quality of care possible. Affiliating with Atrius Health will allow us to serve the needs of our patients in Central Massachusetts, while benefiting from the strength and resources of a larger group,” said Jack Dutzar, MD, president and CEO of Fallon Clinic.

Atrius Health and Fallon Clinic are both 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations that have extensive experience managing healthcare with global payment arrangements and utilizing a state-of-the-art electronic medical record.

Both organizations consistently achieve among the highest quality scores in the state, as measured by Massachusetts Health Quality Partners (MHQP). Additionally, both organizations have implemented Patient Centered Medical Homes (PCMH), which are recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).

Headquartered in Worcester, Fallon Clinic is an independent group of physicians with 250 doctors and 1,700 employees.  The Clinic has more than 20 free standing clinical sites, including 13 primary care locations and more than 20 specialty practices throughout Central Massachusetts. The Clinic also operates several ancillary services including a free-standing endoscopy center, a surgical eye center, an MRI facility and a durable medical equipment company.

With the addition of Fallon Clinic, Atrius Health will be an alliance of six community-based medical groups including Dedham Medical Associates, Granite Medical, Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, South Shore Medical Center, and Southboro Medical Group, comprising more than 1,000 physicians with a total of 7,200 employees serving almost one million adult and pediatric patients throughout Eastern and Central Massachusetts.