Innovative Hospital Collaboration Enables Heightened Patient Care Capabilities

Yale New Haven Hospital Rehabilitation and Wellness Center at Milford Hospital opened its new facility at the Seaside Avenue institution July 1,and it’s described as an innovative and unprecedented collaboration between the two institutions, according to a press release.

After months of planning and preparation, the first patients were admitted to the Center where they will recover from an array of conditions requiring intensive rehabilitation, the release said. Patients will be cared for by Yale New Haven Hospital physicians and nurses. Milford Hospital will provide ancillary, support and emergency services.

“Our combined talent and joint mission will surely lead to the success of this unique collaboration” Joseph Pelaccia, Milford Hospital President and CEO, said. “I have no doubt that, together, we will help heal the patients convalescing in this facility.”

Hospitals across the state and the country continue to face challenges with declining inpatient volumes and historic cuts in Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement.

“As healthcare providers we recognize the challenge in providing excellent care while trying to achieve regulatory and financial objectives” said Pelaccia. “Institutions can no longer compete for patients. They must work together creatively to maximize quality and efficiency expected by patients. I am proud that, together with Yale New Haven Hospital, we are uniquely positioned to lead the healthcare field in this endeavor.”

This collaboration is said to be neither a merger nor an acquisition, but rather a joint effort to enhance access to care, while allowing Milford Hospital to remain a viable and independent institution.