A long history of service to the community
A board-certified neurologist, Dr. Murphy assumes his new post after years of serving Danbury Hospital in a number of capacities, including two decades on the medical staff, three years as President of the Medical Staff and 15 years on the board of directors. He was chairman of the board for four years before joining the hospital administration a year and a half ago as executive vice president and chief executive officer designee.

Dr. Murphy said he feels "privileged" to have the board's "vote of confidence" to lead the organization in today's volatile health care arena.
"This is unique time in the history of American medicine," he said. "We have a confluence of information about the human genome at the same time that we see a growing emphasis on managing the health of the population thanks, in part, to advances in information technology. This will enable us to provide more personalized medical care in the future. Meantime the economic rules governing the practice of medicine are being re-written with the passage of health care reform. It's an exciting and challenging time to be in the field."

He also considers himself "fortunate to follow in the footsteps" of his predecessor, Frank Kelly, who was "extremely successful in not only elevating the quality of care, but in assuring our financial viability. Our financial strength allows us to take advantage of opportunities, including the regionalization of health care through our affiliation with New Milford Hospital."

A new chapter with formidable challenges begins

While it's impossible to predict the future, Dr. Murphy recently shared his perspectives on the challenges that lie ahead as Danbury Hospital continues to set the standard for excellence.

Like many institutions across the nation, Danbury Hospital will face increased pressure to offer high quality, sophisticated medical care to patients in a comforting environment as efficiently as possible following passage of health care reform.

"Hospitals, physicians and other providers will lose hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue under the new changes to nation's health care system. Simply put, federal reimbursements will not fully cover the costs of many of the medical services we provide," explained Dr. Murphy. "As a result, we must find ways to provide high quality care while reducing costs. This is a challenge that will require the close partnership of the medical staff, management team and the community." Medicare's transformation from a "passive payer of medical services to an active purchaser of high quality medical care" means health care institutions will also need to document performance and outcomes in a transparent manner for public review.

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