10 things to know about Northwell Health

Northwell Health, formerly North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, is New York State's most expansive integrated health system, as well as its largest employer.

The health system cares for more than 8 million New Yorkers. It is a leader in clinical studies, research and development and education.

Here are 10 things to know about Northwell Health.

1. CEO. Michael J. Dowling has served as president and CEO of the health system since 2002.

• He joined North Shore-LIJ in 1995, serving as executive vice president and COO.
• Prior to joining the health system, Mr. Dowling was senior vice president at Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Before that, he served in the New York State government for 12 years, including seven years as state director of health, education and human services and deputy secretary to the governor. He was also commissioner of the New York State Department of Social Services.
• Before embarking on a career of public service, Mr. Dowling was a professor of social policy and assistant dean at the Fordham University Graduate School of Social Services in New York City and director of the Fordham Campus in Westchester County.
• Mr. Dowling is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies and chairman of the North American Board of the Smurfit School of Business at University College in Dublin, Ireland. He also serves as a board member for the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and a board member and fellow for the New York Academy of Medicine.

2. Administrative leaders

• David L. Battinelli, MD, serves as senior vice president and CMO
• John Bosco is senior vice president and CIO
• Sven Gierlinger is vice president and chief experience officer
• Mark P. Jarrett, MD, serves as senior vice president of clinical excellence and chief quality officer
• Robert Shapiro serves as executive vice president of finance and CFO

3. System size. Northwell Health is the 14th largest health system in the U.S. and the largest in New York, with 6,600 hospital and long-term care beds and a workforce of about 61,000 employees. It contains 21 hospital, three skilled nursing facilities, numerous specialty programs and more than 450 ambulatory and physician practices.

4. Physicians. The health system has more than 12,000 member physicians, and its physician group, Northwell Health Physician Partners, employs nearly 2,700 full-time physicians. Northwell Health has approximately 15,000 nurses systemwide.

5. Research. The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research is the research branch of the Northwell Health enterprise. It is headquartered in Manhasset, N.Y.

• The Feinstein Institute is comprised of more than 1,500 clinicians, scientists and staff who work in laboratories and clinical research programs in collaboration with many clinicians and patients across the Northwell Health system. Each year, more than 15,000 patients and volunteers participate in more than 2,000 research studies.
• Kevin J. Tracey, MD, serves as president and CEO of the institute. He is a neurosurgeon by training and focuses his study on the immune system and diseases caused by inflammation.
• The institute ranks in the top 5th percentile of all National Institutes of Health grants awarded to research centers.
• The institute has produced more than 200 patents in 80 distinct technologies and generates a dozen successful biotech start-up companies.

6. Medical school. Northwell Health and Hofstra University are partners in the establishment of Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine.

• Hofstra University and North Shore-LIJ Health System entered into a formal agreement to establish the Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine in March 2008. The agreement marked the launch of the first allopathic medical school in Nassau County and the first new medical school in the New York metropolitan area in more than 35 years.
• The Liaison Committee on Medical Education granted preliminary accreditation to the School of Medicine in June 2010. In August 2011, the school welcomed its inaugural class.
• The Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine received provisional accreditation from the LCME in June 2013 and attained full accreditation in 2015.
• The school has more than 1,800 faculty in more than 25 departments.

6. Strategic alliances. Northwell Health is engaged in numerous strategic alliances that focus on various clinical areas. Currently, the health system has partnerships with West Orange, N.J.-based Barnabas Health, Karolinska Institute in Solna, Sweden, New York City-based National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, New York City-based Montefiore Medical Center, Cleveland Clinic, Yale New Haven (Conn.) Health and Cold Spring Harbor (N.Y.) Laboratory.

7. New brand. In September 2015, the health system's board of trustees announced North Shore-LIJ Health System would change its name to Northwell Health as part of a broad rebranding and marketing campaign that launched in January 2016.

"Being highly visible and clearly understood within and beyond the New York metropolitan area requires strong brand recognition," Mr. Dowling said in a statement. "The Northwell Health name is a reflection of our past and a beacon of our future. It's unique, simple and approachable, and better defines who we are and where we are going."

The growing emphasis on health and wellness promotion and disease prevention in the U.S. healthcare system led to "a name that underscores our focus on keeping people well and better managing their health, rather than only treating them why they are sick or injured," said Mr. Dowling. "The future of healthcare is about guiding and engaging consumers in a very different way."

8. Key finance statistics. For the year ended Dec. 31, 2015, Northwell Health posted operating revenue of $8.74 billion, up from $7.48 billion in fiscal year 2014. It reported $8.65 billion in operating expenses in fiscal year 2015, up from $7.39 billion in 2014, and a net income of $41.06 million, down from $158.42 million in 2014. For fiscal year 2016, the health system projects $9.5 billion in annual operating revenue.

9. Health insurance. Northwell Health founded CareConnect, the system's health insurance provider, in 2013. CareConnect was the first provider-owned commercial health insurance plan on New York's health insurance exchange. In the latest enrollment period, the health insurer more than tripled its enrollment. At the end of January, CareConnect had 91,193 members. In 2015, it had 26,567 members, according to Crain's New York Business.

10. Entrepreneurship. Northwell Health established Northwell Ventures in 2013 with the goal of enhancing the growth of Northwell Health enterprises. The health system's entrepreneurial branch works with physicians, scientists and staff throughout the health system to foster and develop ideas in clinical and non-clinical areas to both implement and market. Northwell Ventures is composed of several core functions.

• New Ventures facilitates the evaluation, development, financing and growth of new companies based on Northwell Health technologies, services and programs. It also leads joint ventures and partnerships with industry and healthcare peers and identifies new ancillary revenue streams for the health sytem.
• The Center for Health IT is a systemwide IT innovation center managed by Northwell Health Ventures that creates and validates technology-enabled solutions that support clinical research and advance the transformation in healthcare.
• Advisory Services. Northwell Health's shared services and business practices leverage its experience, scale and expertise. The health system's Advisory Services package and market these assets to other healthcare providers through consultants and other subject matter experts.