Secaucus, N.J.-based Hudson Regional Hospital has new owners, a new name and a new leadership team, but it's struggling to escape an old reputation in a highly competitive environment, according to NJ.com.
In its days as the Meadowlands Hospital Medical Center, the hospital was known for poor management and high prices and faced stiff state fines for failing to submit financial reports. Yan Moshe, who took control of the hospital on Jan. 1, hired Nizar Kifaieh, MD, to take charge as Hudson Regional's president and CEO and turn around the hospital's operations and reputation.
"The goal is to make Hudson Regional Hospital a true community hospital," said Dr. Kifaieh. "We understood there was a huge undertaking ahead of us, the biggest of which was reputation management. So we worked closely together on a lot of different initiatives to transform the institution."
One of the hospital's greatest challenges is its competitive market, which leaves Hudson Regional "surrounded by monsters," such as RWJ Barnabas' Jersey City (N.J.) Medical Center and three local facilities owned by Jersey City-based CarePoint Health, according to Dr. Kifaieh.
To compete with these systems, Hudson Regional is looking to specialize in services such as obstetrics and gynecology, minimally invasive spine surgery and behavioral health.
"We don't want to specialize in everything out there. We want to be known for a certain, specific thing," said Dr. Kifaieh. "What you see in the bigger systems is they all want to be known for everything from podiatry to brain surgery. ... The smart thing to do is to figure out a niche for us that is going to serve the community No. 1 and is going to make us successful."