Pulmonary & Sleep Medicine specialties are expanding their office space. Sleep services will remain in Suite D-24 and Pulmonary will move to Suite D-21, 25 Newell Road in Bristol, beginning March 25.

Generations Have Counted on Us;
Now Our Future is at Risk


As one of the few remaining independent hospitals and health systems in the state, Bristol Health is deeply committed to serving our community’s needs as we have for the last 100 years. But today we face unprecedented challenges that threaten our ability to sustain our operations and provide high-quality care to our community.
 

What's at Stake?

Aggressive and inappropriate use of prior authorization rules by Medicare Advantage and other commercial health plans threaten:
  • Bristol Health's ability to remain independent
  • ​Your access to high quality patient care in the greater Bristol community
  • Your access to skilled doctors and nurses, and
  • Support for needed community programs such as Bristol's Recovery Alliance and Opioid Task Force

Make Your Voice Heard

Send a letter in support of Bristol Health

Email Your State Officials Email Your Federal Officials

Your Health and Our Future Are at Risk



For nearly two years now, Bristol Health, and all hospital and healthcare networks in Connecticut, have been on the frontlines of the state’s response to COVID-19.  Hospitals have provided exceptional inpatient care to COVID-19 patients, have established community testing locations across the state, and have administered more than a million COVID-19 vaccine doses.

The pandemic has left Bristol Health in a weakened state financially.  Contributing to its weakened state is the fact that Bristol Hospital has an overall government reimbursement mix that has grown to more than 72 percent.  This makes it difficult for Bristol Hospital to make up the loss on government reimbursement rates with its commercial book of business.  This, however, is not impossible if our requests for authorization and payment for the valued medically-necessary health services we provide were processed efficiently and fairly. 

The single most significant risk to Bristol Hospital’s future financial viability is the aggressive and inappropriate use of prior authorization by commercial health plans.

Medicare Advantage, as a percentage of our total revenue, has grown rapidly, and as a result is directly challenging our financial sustainability and our ability to remain independent.  Eighty-two percent of our commercial health plan discharges to post-acute care required a prior authorization. Commercial insurance company staff is not there at nights, weekends or holidays to provide the authorizations as a result leaving patients parked for days while waiting authorization to be moved to the appropriate level of care. The hospital does NOT get paid for these days, costing Bristol Hospital over $1 million in fiscal year 2021. 

This aggressive and inappropriate use of prior authorization by commerical health plans led to 406 extra days paitents remained in Bristol Hospital. 

Delays are most common when patients come in after hours or on weekends when most health plans do not have staff available to review routine requests.  Keeping a patient in the emergency department or an inpatient bed while waiting for a plan’s decision or response to a prior authorization request, is not in the best interest of the patient.  We strive to ensure that patients are receiving the right level of care when they need it.  When patients wait for transfer to settings that focus on both medical and rehabilitative needs, their progress toward recovery can be negatively affected.
We value the partnership with our payors, but we need their committment and support to sustain our unique, quality-focused organization.
 

Sustainability is Our Goal

Our mission is "Caring Today for Your Tomorrow." But to be here tomorrow, we need your help today. Please share your support for Bristol Health with your state and federal legislators. Convey to them that high-quality community-based care is worth investing it. Bristol Health is worth investing in.  

Help Us Stay a Vital Resource

Support high-quality, local care. Support Bristol Health.

Email Your State Officials Email Your Federal Officials

 

Care That Makes an Impact

40k+
Patients Served
Bristol Hospital is licensed for 154 beds and cares for more than 40,000 patients annually.
100
Years of Care
Founded in 1921, we have been providing care to the greater Bristol community for 100 years.
2nd
Largest Employer in Bristol
With 1800 employees we are the 2nd largest employer in Bristol, providing valuable economic stability.
25k
COVID Vaccines
We've administered more than 25,000 vaccines to residents in our communities.
600
COVID Patients
Since March 18, 2020, Bristol Hospital has treated more than 600 COVID patients, the vast majority of whom have been successfully discharged.
1
of the first COVID Testing Centers in CT
We immediately responded to the urgency of the pandemic by opening one of the first testing stations in the state. We tested more than 4100 people at our center.
1
of only 8% of Magnet Hospitals in the U.S.
Magnet designation recognizes nursing excellence. As part of our 2020 re-accreditation, our nurses received an extraordinary 11 exemplaries for their professional practice.
#1
Ranked Full-Service Hospital in CT
for preventing hospital-acquired infections, which can have serious emotional, financial, and medical consequences.
5
Stars from CMS
for our home care and our skilled nursing facility, Ingraham Manor.
$159
Million in Hospital Spending
In addition to spending $80.9m on goods and services in 2019, we created an additional $78.7m in "ripple effect" spending.
4538
Area Jobs
Bristol Health's impact on jobs goes beyond our own employees. In total, we helped drive a total of 4,538 employed and "ripple effect" jobs in 2019, for a payroll impact of $234.4 million.
$7.6
Million in Additional Economic Activity
When we invest in capital improvements, we help generate additional economic activity. In 2019, our capital spend of $7.9 million spurred an additional $7.6 million by other businesses and vendors.

Our Care and Results are Second to None



Bristol Health offers patients a unique--and increasingly rare--approach to care: local and accessible, quality-focused and driven by our community's needs.

Many of our 100+ physicians and advanced practice providers come from much larger health systems, attracted by our small community feel, culture of high performance and the opportunity make decisions about how healthcare should be delivered, not just take direction from a large corporate entity. And because our providers, staff and leadership live in the same communities as our patients, we take your needs to heart.

Every three years, we conduct a community needs assessment to understand how we can best support your health. This has led us to expand access in Bristol and surrounding towns, increase mental health services, modernize and expand our Emergency Center, partner with the City of Bristol on drug addiction and recovery programs, and create services and programming for seniors.

Bristol Health provides outstanding, high-quality and safe care that has been recognized at the state and national levels. We are the #1 full-service hospital in Connecticut in preventing hospital-acquired infections; have been rated an "A" for patient safety five consecutive times by the Leapfrog Group and are designated a Magnet Hospital for our exceptional nursing care and professionalism. We are so committed to performance improvement that we are pursuing the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and are the only hospital in CT to achieve Silver Recognition as part of this journey.

Recognized for nursing excellence in 2015, with re-designation achieved in 2020.

Our joint program has met the highest standards for safety and quality.

The first healthcare system in the state to earn Silver Recognition in the 2020 ENA Baldrige-based Quality Award program.

Recognized by the International Hospital Federation for our initiative, agility and innovation in our COVID response

Show Your Support for Bristol Health

Low insurer payments threaten our ability to keep Bristol Hospital open. Please fill out the form below to send us a message that you support Bristol Health and want us to stay open.
We will forward your message to our payers and to our legislative representatives.


 

 


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