Raritan Bay Medical Center
Focuses on New Technologies and Patient Comforts
as Part of its Growth and Renewal Plans
Perth Amboy, NJ, March 10, 2010… After more than a year Raritan Bay Medical Center (RBMC) and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) have agreed to end discussions for the purchase of RBMC’s Old Bridge hospital and the inclusion of the Perth Amboy hospital as a system hospital by RWJUH. While this decision allows RBMC to remain an independent two-hospital organization it also poses challenges for RBMC’s community hospitals in a healthcare environment plagued by shrinking reimbursement and an increasing number of charity care patients. Despite these challenges RBMC has been working diligently to secure its financial outlook and grow its services so it remains a trusted resource in its communities.
Financial Improvement
“Our biggest immediate challenge was to stem the tide of losses we were experiencing. Not only were we able to stop the losses in 2009, but we performed better financially than our budgeted projections,” said RBMC President and CEO Michael R. D’Agnes. “We concentrated on keeping expenses down and trimming our costs providing more cost effective yet higher quality patient care,” D’Agnes continued. “As a result we maintained our designation as a Magnet hospital for nursing excellence, a state-designated primary stroke center and a 5-star rating in the care of stroke patients by HealthGrades, Inc., the national healthcare rating agency.
Vision 2011
Going forward RBMC is concentrating on expanding its services to adapt to the ever-changing healthcare environment. RBMC is undergoing a number of renovation projects at both hospitals including adding new private rooms at both facilities and expanding the emergency department in Perth Amboy. Administrators are also exploring funding opportunities to build a new surgical suite at Old Bridge, expanding the capacity of the operating rooms and creating appropriate pre- and post-operative space.
A new women’s center to include digital mammography, ultrasound, bone density and MRI among other technologies will provide the highest quality diagnostic and treatment services for women in various stages of life at the Perth Amboy hospital while the existing women’s center at the Old Bridge hospital will receive a number of technological improvements.
The hospital also recently received a $3.1 million grant from PSE&G to install a number of energy efficiency improvements at the Perth Amboy hospital including new cooling towers, lighting improvements, boiling burners, windows and a new roof. These improvements enable the hospital to reduce energy use now and subsequently save on energy expenses, estimated at more than $1 million over the next three years.
These and several patient satisfaction initiatives are being implemented in cooperation with the medical staff to ensure Raritan Bay Medical Center becomes the destination of choice for area patients.
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