In the article, "Tufts Medical Changes Name, Strengthens University Ties," by Boston Globe Staff Writer Jeffrey Krasner, March 4, 2008, Marc A. Bard, MD, president of The Bard Group, gave his analysis of the relationship between Tufts Medical Center (formerly Tufts New England Medical Center) and Tufts Medical School.

"Dr. Marc Bard, a partner at the Bard Group in Needham, which consults with hospitals on strategy, said the truce between Tufts and the medical center is unusual.

'There's nothing unique about the Tufts model,' he said. 'The only thing that's unique is the execution. They make it work.'

Bard said the relationship reflects the medical center's position in the competitive Boston market. In many cities, Tufts Medical Center would be the best-known and most respected teaching hospital. But in Boston, with a cluster of teaching hospitals affiliated with Harvard Medical School, and other academic medical centers, Tufts must work harder to stand out, he said.

'Their market position has required them to really seek this extra level of integration,' said Bard."

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