The medical center emerged from a tarnished reputation and economic challenges to become a solid community resource with the guidance of its executive leadership and with support from community partners.
“The hospital changed leadership seven years ago, and I was brought in three months into the change,” said Gian Varbaro, MD, chief medical officer and vice president of ambulatory services. Dr. Varbaro said the medical center has received numerous quality-based and leadership recognitions as well as other certifications in recent years. These reflect Bergen New Bridge’s successful evolution into a fiscally sound provider of high-quality, compassionate, and accessible care.
How has Bergen New Bridge, a safety net hospital, been able to grow when many others across the country are shrinking? The answer is that the medical center has been able to offer a variety of diversified services which include a robust robotic surgery program, expanded specialty services, and more.
“There are different economic structures for safety net hospitals, including government programs and payer resources, which lead to cost structures that are lower than other healthcare providers,” said Dr. Varbaro. The medical center provides services that create positive margins because their cost structure is so much lower.
Bergen New Bridge has also been focused on population health and a comprehensive care model that has gained traction over the last seven years. When the medical center’s transformation began seven years ago, the executive team realized the hospital had reputation challenges that might have impacted certain services.
“We realized we could make things easier by providing a navigated program for patients with any economic payer and center it around primary care providers who are multifaceted and can help direct people through the system,” said Dr. Varbaro.
Even patients who need less frequent hospital visits are now within the system and choose Bergen New Bridge for their inpatient services as well.
“We do a lot of visits that are smaller, but they have a bigger impact. It keeps people healthier and out of the hospital,” said Dr. Varbaro. “We want to grow our inpatient services, too and we are working to create services that patients want.”
Under the leadership of president and CEO Deborah Visconi, Dr. Varbaro helped restructure the clinical enterprise. “I’ve been able to grow the outpatient service line,” said Dr. Varbaro “and use it to grow our inpatient service without cannibalizing any current services.”
Dr. Varbaro said having a good team is essential to any organization’s success and a willingness to think out of the box has helped Bergen New Bridge with its incredible transformation.
Dr. Varbaro credits the vision and leadership of Bergen New Bridge President and CEO, Deb Visconi who fosters an environment where people feel empowered to bring new ideas to the table. Her innovation has been instrumental in the successful transformation of the medical center, its enhanced reputation, and growing physician enterprise.