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Business & Tech

Changes at Bayshore Hospital, Since Its Merger with Meridian

New energy, management and improvements at the Holmdel-based hospital

Bayshore Community Hospital on North Beers Street in Holmdel has just finished its first-year anniversary as part of the larger Meridian healthcare system.

Bayshore employs 400 physicians and 1,024 staff members, and an additional  363 people in its two long-term care facilities at its neighboring facilities in Holmdel, The Willows Assisted Living Facility and Bayshore Health Care Center

The president of Riverview Medical Center and Bayshore Community Hospital, Timothy J. Hogan, reflected on the past year in an interview.

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“We are creating a new patient experience at every level of the organization with a goal toward delivering the best health care experience, period," he said. "When you’re trying to change a culture, your success is tied into every single team member, from nurses to housekeepers, the maintenance crew to the medical staff – everyone owns a piece of the island. Our staff is re-energized and wants to see Bayshore achieve its new goals.”

Last September, Bayshore Community Hospital became the sixth hospital in Meridian’s Monmouth and Ocean county system. It is Meridian’s most northern hospital in a 60 to 70 mile swath through central New Jersey. Southern Ocean Medical Center, in Manahawkin, is Meridian’s southernmost facility.

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According to Hogan, more than 71 physicians have joined the medical staff, which is more than in the past five years combined.

“Bayshore already had an excellent medical staff,” said Hogan, “and we were able to bring in additional physicians from the Meridian system in specialty areas that were missing or where we want to expand services in the future. We now have an even more robust and talented medical staff in place with additional surgeons, a newly strengthened anesthesiology team, and other specialists.”

Cardiovascular services will be central to Bayshore’s future, said Hogan.

Within the past year Bayshore has gained a new designation and added new services, lab upgrades, expanded diagnostic testing and developed plans for growth, he said.

 “This is a fertile demographic for a well-developed heart and vascular care program,” says Hogan. Other expansion areas include the neurosciences, oncology and pediatrics.

New outpatient services include a Center for Bariatrics, developed under the leadership of nationally-recognized bariatric surgeon, Karl Strom, M.D.

“Other new and improved services will include sleep, diagnostic imaging, and wound care,” says Hogan. “We’ll also expand evening and weekend hours for outpatient services.”

For many in the community, their first experience with Bayshore will start at the Emergency Department door.

“We have very strong ED physicians and are now creating an environment where they can do their work better,” says Hogan.

A new Pediatric Care Center will debut in December, with a dedicated pediatric staff and more space for families.”

A new behavioral health crisis center will ensure that patients receive prompt and efficient care. “We are also working to improve our partnerships with local first aid squads and to build strong relationships in the community in general,” said Hogan.

Hogan cites the high scores Bayshore received from The Joint Commission, a national third party health care accreditation agency. The patient experience at Bayshore is being benchmarked against Meridian standards of service.

Meridian signature services, such as Concierge Care, are on the horizon.

Also, new initiatives for nurses and team members are encouraging professional growth, additional training, and access to the latest clinical standards at Meridian Health. Benefits and tuition reimbursement programs have been strengthened.

The new Bayshore administration feels that people who were going elsewhere are now more confident in the care they will receive at Bayshore, says Anthony V. Cava, executive director at Bayshore and responsible for all day-to-day operations. 

“The way the community views Bayshore has already changed significantly now that it has the strong support and leadership inherent within a bigger system,” says Cava.

“We are confident that Bayshore’s further collaboration with Meridian Health will allow us to provide the best health care experience for all who choose the physicians, facilities and services offered by Meridian.”

 

 
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