Worcester, Mass – UMass Memorial Health, the largest not-for-profit health care system in Central Massachusetts, has been recognized by the American Medical Association’s 2022 Joy in Medicine™ Health System Recognition Program for its Clinician Experience Office (CXO). Awarded at the Bronze level, UMass Memorial Health is among the 28 organizations across the nation that have been recognized this year for prioritizing and investing in physician well-being.

UMass Memorial Medical Center president Michael Gustafson said the hospital has about 800 beds and 500 of them are for adult med-surge patients. These additional 91 beds are about a 19% increase.

"91 beds are desperately needed," Gustafson said. "We have many days that we are starting days with patients waiting in our emergency departments waiting for beds. So this will provide a great relief and also the ability for us to get more patients transferred in to the medical center from outlying hospitals."

Worcester healthcare providers UMass Memorial Health and Reliant Medical Group, along with insurer Fallon Health, have been selected to four of the 17 MassHealth accountable care organizations, meaning they will be responsible for quality, cost, and member experience for MassHealth participants.

Dr. Eric Dickson, chief executive of UMass Memorial Health, said three factors are driving up spending: administrative waste, drug prices and labor costs. “If we don't address those root causes, we will not do anything to the cost of health care in this country or in the state,” Dickson told the commission.

WORCESTER, Mass. - Worcester health leaders are urging masking, vaccination and other precautions as cases of the flu, RSV, and COVID-19 rise. 

They are also urging residents to take precautions to stay safe, avoid surges and prevent further strain on local and regional hospital systems. 

Worcester, Mass – UMass Memorial Health, the largest not-for-profit health care system in Central Massachusetts, has been recognized by the American Medical Association’s 2022 Joy in Medicine™ Health System Recognition Program for its Clinician Experience Office (CXO). Awarded at the Bronze level, UMass Memorial Health is among the 28 organizations across the nation that have been recognized this year for prioritizing and investing in physician well-being.

Roughly 2,770 nurses and health care workers at several hospitals in the UMass Memorial Health system have ratified new contracts in recent months, providing wage increases between 8% and 19.5%, depending on the facility and length of contract. “Every day, we are moved by the compassion, resilience, and professionalism of our nursing staff, who continue to deliver exceptional care to all our patients and their loved ones,” Justin Precourt, who is a registered nurse and chief nursing officer/senior vice president of Patient Care Services at UMass Memorial Medical Center and chief nursing exe

Worcester firefighter Ryan Kelley had a scab on his temple for two years that never really healed.

He hadn’t done anything about it, when his whole truck decided to attend a free cancer screening held by DetecTogether and UMass Memorial Health at Polar Park last year.

When doctors from UMass saw the scab, they told Kelley it looked like basal cell skin cancer. He worked with them to schedule a biopsy for the next morning.

Turquoise Health released a price transparency report Oct. 18 that rates hospitals and health systems on how well they are following a federal requirement to publish their negotiated rates with private insurers.