AJ losing Market Share?

Judging from the coverage in the Daily News, the AJ seems to be in tip-top financial health. But a review by the Boston-based Partners group suggests a weakness.

From the lengthy Globe article today on Partners' move into the burbs:

Partners' executives provided an analysis showing that 20 of 39 non-Partners community hospitals lost market share in their primary service area in that period, while 19 hospitals held steady or gained. Anna Jaques Hospital lost market share in four of its top five communities - Newburyport, Amesbury, Merrimac, and West Newbury, while Mass. General, Lahey Clinic, and the Brigham picked up patients in those communities.

I'm not sure how market share is measured. Perhaps its a measure of where people in a certain area receive their care, but whether it indicates the AG is losing percentage points to those other facilities or actual procedure numbers, I just don't konw.

But working with the assumption that more folks from Boston and Greater Boston have moved to Port, I guess it's reasonable to assume that they might feel tighter bonds to physicians and facilities with which they're familiar.

Personally, I like the AJ. I've been fortunate enough not to require any serious care, but the care I have received has been great.