New Imaging Partnership

Shields partners with Cape Cod Hospital.

Cape Cod Hospital today announced that it will expand its affiliation with Shields Health Care Group. The appropriate filings have been made with the DPH and the two providers will now partner to offer Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computed Tomography (CT). This collaboration – the third and fourth joint venture agreements between Cape Cod Healthcare and Shields in the past two years – will provide increased flexibility and convenience for physicians and Cape Cod residents by combining the exceptional service and high-quality imaging of two of the region’s most well-respected healthcare organizations. The agreement will take effect July 2011.

Cape Cod Healthcare – parent company of both Cape Cod Hospital and Falmouth Hospital – and Shields first partnered in 2008 to offer PET/CT imaging. The affiliation expanded to include Radiation Therapy – the two organizations recently announced a new partnership to provide Radiation Oncology services at the new Clark Cancer Center on the campus of Falmouth Hospital. The partnerships are designed to increase cost-efficiency and drive quality in a changing healthcare landscape.

“Our focus has always been delivering the highest quality of care to all of our patients every day,” said Michael Lauf, President and CEO, Cape Cod Healthcare. “This partnership creates more flexibility for our physicians and residents while maintaining our sharp focus on quality and service. It positions our organization for success going forward in the evolving health care landscape.”

“We have built our reputation on high-quality care and exceptional service,” added Tom Shields Jr., President of Shields Health Care Group. “We’re proud that Cape Cod Healthcare has chosen to partner with us for their imaging needs – they expect high-quality service for their patients and that’s exactly what Shields provides. With our expertise, we have a great foundation to build this collaboration and expand the exceptional care and service of Cape Cod Healthcare and Shields Health Care Group to even more patients across the region.”

About Cape Cod Healthcare
Cape Cod Healthcare is a comprehensive, regional healthcare system spanning the entire Cape. Cape Cod Healthcare is the leading provider of healthcare services for resident and visitors to Cape Cod. With more than 400 physicians and 4,500 employees, Cape Cod Healthcare has two acute care hospitals, the largest home health services and hospice agency on the Cape (VNA), a skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility, an assisted living facility, and numerous health programs. For more information, visit Cape Cod Healthcare’s web site at www.capecodhealth.org.

About Shields Health Care Group
Shields Health Care Group is a family-owned business and was New England’s first independent MRI provider 25 years ago. Today, Shields has more than 25 locations, all ACR accredited, throughout Massachusetts and strong partnerships with some of the top healthcare and technology providers in the country. Shields provides a diverse offering of MRI, Radiation Oncology, CT, PET/CT Imaging and Virtual Radware services. It is the Shields focus, experience, and commitment that have helped the company grow to be the largest and most technically advanced network of medical imaging and diagnostic and treatment facilities and the largest network of radiation oncology treatment centers in New England.

Lisa Campisi 774-328-2397