How MDI Hospital is advancing quality, managing risk, and strengthening sustainability through statewide partnership
Bar Harbor, ME – As Medicare shifts to value-based payment, rural hospitals face increasing financial risk. At Mount Desert Island (MDI) Hospital, the answer has been partnership rather than consolidation. Through its founding role in the Community Care Partnership of Maine (CCPM), MDI Hospital is helping demonstrate how rural systems can lead in quality, cost control, and sustainability.
“Strategic partnerships are essential for rural hospitals,” said Chrissi Maguire, President and CEO of MDI Hospital. “Our work with CCPM allows us to lead rather than react, improving care outcomes while managing risk.”
CCPM brings together 22 member organizations,17 federally qualified health centers and five community hospitals, serving more than 300,000 Maine residents each year. Its mission is simple but ambitious: to improve Maine community health through coordinated, sustainable, and innovative care models. In practice, CCPM operates as a statewide rural health innovation lab, helping organizations like MDI Hospital improve quality, expand access, and remain financially viable amid growing system complexity.
Through CCPM’s participation in the Medicare Shared Savings Program, MDI Hospital is part of a value-based care model that rewards outcomes over volume. In 2024, CCPM generated $18.1 million in gross savings and $7.1 million in net savings, marking its ninth consecutive successful year in the program, outperforming other Maine Accountable Care Organizations (ACO). For MDI Hospital, this resulted in $438,000 in stable financial returns, reinvested directly into patient care, population health initiatives, and workforce support. Most recently, MDI Hospital performed the highest of all CCPM organizations for the quality bonus measure of Annual Wellness visits completed.
Equally important is risk protection. Value-based care introduces downside exposure, and CCPM manages that risk deliberately. A $7.9 million reserve fund shields member organizations from unexpected losses and capital calls, providing stability as the health system transitions toward mandatory two-sided risk by 2026, without compromising the hospital’s financial foundation.
The value of CCPM extends far beyond dollars. CCPM provides advanced analytics and dashboards to close care gaps, specialty consulting to reduce unnecessary emergency department visits, virtual medical assistants to support chronic care management, centralized pharmacy and care management services, and robust population health tools informed by HealthInfoNet data. These resources translate directly into better patient experiences, improved outcomes, and meaningful support for clinicians and staff.
The partnership also positions MDI Hospital for what comes next. Through aligned advocacy, grant development, and workforce investment, CCPM connects members to opportunities such as HRSA Rural Health Grants and pilots in care management, EMS staffing, and AI-supported clinical workflows. More than 40 CME offerings, leadership forums, and quality improvement collaboratives further support recruitment, retention, and professional growth across Maine’s rural health workforce.
As Sandy Nesin, CEO of CCPM, has said, “Community Care Partnership of Maine exemplifies what rural collaboration can achieve: quality, cost control, and access for all.”
For MDI Hospital, continued participation in CCPM reinforces a clear commitment: to patient-partnered care, financial sustainability, workforce resilience, and statewide leadership in value-based innovation. In a rapidly changing health care landscape, CCPM ensures that MDI Hospital is not navigating the future alone but advancing it, together.