Sharing a common commitment to providing high quality and value-based care for the benefit of their communities, Catholic Medical Center and Huggins Hospital have decided to move forward with discussions on an affiliation agreement. The Boards of both organizations have approved the signing of a non-binding Letter of Intent to pursue an affiliation in a way that could result in a more integrated healthcare system to serve their respective communities.
“The decision to pursue a closer affiliation is a natural next step in building upon the long and successful clinical relationship between CMC and Huggins,” said Dr. Joseph Pepe, President & CEO of Catholic Medical Center. “By more collaboratively utilizing our collective resources and expertise, we could improve in every measurable area of quality, cost and access to care.”
“CMC and Huggins Hospital have been working together for many years to improve access to cardiology and vascular care for the residents and visitors in the Huggins Hospital communities,” said Jeremy Roberge, Interim President & CEO of Huggins Hospital. “We are excited to take the next step to ensure we are keeping quality healthcare close to home.”
CMC and Huggins will continue to explore ways to better serve their patients. Both organizations remain steadfast in their commitment to continuing to bend the healthcare cost curve while improving clinical outcomes, overall patient experience and the health of their communities.
“The Letter of Intent proposes a structure which would permit CMC and Huggins to each operate in the same way that they have been operating,” explains Dr. Pepe. “Huggins would continue operating as a secular, non-profit community hospital, and CMC would continue operating as a Catholic, non-profit acute healthcare system. The goal is to come together with a New Hampshire based affiliation that would benefit both communities and build on the success Huggins and CMC have already experienced together, while maintaining our respective charitable missions, values and traditions.”
The next steps in this process will include the negotiation of a definitive agreement, a mutual due diligence process, the final approval of the hospital boards and, with respect to CMC, the approval of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Manchester, as well as state and federal regulatory approval. Throughout this process, and more specifically in the coming months, there will be numerous opportunities for comment by the general public and stakeholders of both hospitals. CMC and Huggins will work diligently to complete this process within the next 12 months.
ABOUT CMC: CMC is 330-bed acute care hospital located in
Manchester, New Hampshire with 2500 employees and over 700 physicians, specialists and other providers working together to serve the health care needs of patients in Manchester and throughout New Hampshire. CMC is home to the nationally recognized New England Heart & Vascular Institute and is a Truven Analytics “Top 50 in the Nation” Cardiovascular Hospital. CMC was also named the 2015 Healthcare Business of the Year by Business NH Magazine.
ABOUT HUGGINS HOSPITAL: Huggins Hospital is a 25-bed Critical Access Hospital located in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire with 400 employees, serving 30,000 year-round residents and approximately 120,000 seasonal residents in the 14 towns in the Eastern Lakes Region. Huggins is recognized as a HEALTHSTRONG Hospital and has been named a Top 100 Critical Access Hospital for the past five years by iVantage Health Analytics.
Contacts:
Monika O’Clair, Huggins Hospital (603) 515-2088, moclair@hugginshospital.org
Donna Dubuc, Catholic Medical Center (603) 663-8164, ddubuc@cmc-nh.org