Baystate Health Welcomes Baystate Mercy Hospital into its Integrated Health System, Strengthening Regional Access to Care

Springfield, MA  — Today, Baystate Health is excited to announce it has integrated Baystate Mercy Hospital, its joint venture affiliates, and 45 medical group entities in Massachusetts into Baystate Health, including implementing a new, modernized Oracle Health Electronic Health Record across the system and at Baystate Mercy Hospital.

These monumental transitions reflect extensive planning, collaboration, and a shared vision for the future of health care in Western Massachusetts: preserving and strengthening access to care, ensuring patients continue to receive safe, high-quality care locally, and enhancing our information technology for our physicians, nurses, team members, and patients.

“This is a pioneering day for Baystate Health as we welcome Baystate Mercy Hospital to our health system and launch our modernized Oracle Health electronic health record both on the same day,” said Peter D. Banko, President & CEO, Baystate Health. “Few organizations are given this opportunity to preserve a 152-year legacy and write the next chapters in that same story. The Sisters of Providence shaped the social fabric of Western Massachusetts by going where the need was greatest and building enduring institutions that provided care to the sick, vulnerable, poor, or forgotten. As we welcome our newest team members and continue our work together, we honor that legacy and carry forward our mission to deliver compassionate, quality and accessible care for all.”

Over the past seven months, Baystate Health has been preparing to integrate Baystate Mercy Hospital and its affiliated clinics, including bringing care teams across the system onto a unified electronic health record system and launching MyBaystate Health, a new, secure and modern patient portal. These investments are designed to create a more seamless and connected experience for patients and care teams, making it easier to navigate care and ensure health information is available to providers coordinating care.

While the hospital and medical practices have a new name, patients will continue to receive care from the care team members they know and trust, at the same locations across Springfield, Chicopee and Agawam, with no impact to their insurance coverage. Patients with already scheduled appointments will move forward as planned and there are no changes to contact phone numbers for the hospital or clinics.

“Our focus since April has been on Day 1 readiness – our people, our patients, and the systems that support delivering care for our community,” said Banko. “Springfield must have two thriving, growing, successful hospitals. That is absolutely essential for health care and economic growth in our region. After we stabilize over the next few weeks, our physicians and clinicians will be leading efforts to find the way best ways for two hospitals six blocks apart to collaborate, expand access, and improve quality, safety, and patient experience.”

Baystate Mercy Hospital’s Emergency Department is open 24/7 and is now staffed by Baystate Health’s board-certified emergency medicine faculty. The Sister Caritas Cancer Center’s integration into Baystate Health’s cancer program represents a significant step forward in delivering comprehensive, patient-centered cancer care, and becoming stronger together.

“It’s an exciting day for our community and team members, and we’ve worked hard to provide uninterrupted access and continuity of services,” said Andrew Ritz, who has been leading the integration efforts and will now serve as the President & COO at Baystate Mercy Hospital. “Throughout the integration process, it has become clear that we are far more similar than different. We want a growing Baystate Mercy Hospital. We want a strong and stable Baystate Health. And we want to improve access to compassionate and quality care, right here in our community, while delivering an exceptional experience – for every patient, every physician, and every team member.” 

Together, the integration of Baystate Mercy Hospital and the launch of these new technologies mark the beginning of a new chapter for Baystate Health, focused on creating a creating a connected, seamless, accessible healthcare experience close to home.

To keep the community informed, a website page on BaystateHealth.org includes information and updates about the integration: www.baystatehealth.org/mercy.