Hartford HealthCare seeks emergency approval to acquire Eastern Connecticut hospitals; OHS to decide by Dec. 30

Hartford HealthCare on Nov. 18 told Connecticut’s Office of Health Strategy it seeks an emergency Certificate of Need to acquire Eastern Connecticut Health Network (ECHN) assets, including Manchester Memorial Hospital and the Rockville General Hospital campus, and pledged large-scale investments, job retention and preservation of key services while OHS continues a rapid review.

At a hybrid hearing before OHS acting commissioner Amy Porter, applicants said the asset purchase agreement covers specified ECHN assets and that the transaction’s application lists a proposed capital expenditure of $86,100,000. Hartford HealthCare’s president and CEO, Jeff Flax, told OHS the system intends to invest “more than $300,000,000” in the communities and to bring its electronic health record, clinical programs and other system resources to Manchester and Rockville.

“This is a generational opportunity and a generational moment for health care in the Manchester and Rockville communities,” Flax said. Counsel Joan Feldman added the hearing was intended to focus on restoring operations and maintaining access rather than assigning blame.

Why it matters: OHS is using an expedited review created by Public Act 25-2 to consider transfers of ownership for hospitals in bankruptcy. Under that law, OHS must evaluate effects on access, cost and quality, market concentration and Medicaid…