The Department of Public Health’s Office of Health Care Access (OHCA) today issued its final decision on the application for Prospect Medical Holdings, Inc. (PMH) of Los Angeles, CA to purchase the assets and affiliates of Eastern Connecticut Health Network, Inc., including Rockville General Hospital (RGH) and Manchester Memorial Hospital (MMH). The Connecticut Office of the Attorney General also issued its final decision on the application today.
OHCA’s final decision maintains the conditions set forth in its proposed decision, which was issued last month. According to OHCA, the decision contains one substantive change to one of the conditions. The proposed decision called for two ombudsmen – one each from RGH and MMH – to be non-voting members on the new RGH and MMH Local Boards. The final decision calls for those two individuals to instead be community representatives with full voting rights on the Local Boards. The community representatives will be chosen in consultation with the mayors of Vernon and Manchester in order to ensure that the appointments go to "two unbiased persons who will fairly represent the interests of the communities served by MMH and RGH," according to the final decision.
Other conditions remaining from the proposed decision include:
Reporting on inpatient and outpatient services as of the time of the decision, any planned changes for the next three years and notification of any relocation of outpatient or reallocation of inpatient servicesSubmission of a Health Needs Plan for supporting and implementing a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA)/StudyMaintenance of current charity care, indigent and community volunteer servicesMaintenance and enhancement of current community benefit programs and community building activities for three years to address the health needs of the community as identified in the CHNA and elsewhereCompliance with the general community benefit standards for at least three years, including: provision of public health programs, open medical staffs, participation in Medicare and Medicaid, and operation at both hospitals of 24/7 emergency departments with service to all patients regardless of their ability to payWorking toward making culturally and linguistically appropriate services available and integrated throughout the hospitals’ operationsHolding a semi-annual joint meeting of Board of Directors and Local Board where the public is invited, informed of hospital activities, and given the ability to ask questionsSubmission of a semi-annual report for three years on cost savings achieved by PMH at ECHN, MMH and RGH, along with the effect of those cost savings on clinical quality of care Submission of a three year service plan for any consolidation, reduction, or elimination of servicesSubmission of a semi-annual report to OHCA detailing how the $75 million PMH has committed to capital investments in MMH and RGH was expended Contract with an Independent Monitor for compliance with OHCA conditions and DPH’s Facilities Licensing and Inspection Section (FLIS) pre-licensing consent order and Quality Commitment letter
To view OHCA’s Proposed Final Decision, please visit www.ct.gov/dph/ohca.
To view OHCA's full public record in this matter, please click here.
