Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and Catholic Medical Center, both in Manchester, N.H., have filed an affiliation agreement with the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office.
The Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health Board of Trustees, CMCHS Board and Bishop of Manchester have already given conditional approval to the merger.
The organizations signed a nonbinding letter of intent in February to pursue a formal affiliation. The affiliation agreement is subject to review by the state and public and must receive state and federal antitrust approvals under state law and the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act.
"I'm tremendously pleased that we've created a structure that, first and foremost, affirms our Catholic identity and advances the charitable mission of both organizations to provide quality care to a broad and diverse patient base, including those most in need," said Alyson Pitman Giles, president and CEO of CMC. "Clinical and strategic planning initiatives and decisions will originate at the local level where there is direct experience and interaction with the patient and community base that can be positively impacted."
The proposed affiliation will involve two components: the integration of the DHC Manchester-based physician practice group services with the services of Catholic Medical Center under its parent company, CMCHS, and the integration of CMCHS into a regional system with DHH.
CMCHS will coordinate the delivery of integrated services in the Manchester area and enter into an expanded professional services agreement and facilities lease with the current Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic Manchester physicians through Alliance Health Services, another CMCHS subsidiary.
DHH will become the sole member of CMCHS, exercising certain reserved powers, most of which would be concurrent with the bishop's reserved powers regarding CMCHS. As a result, the proposed affiliation will allow CMC to collaborate directly with the 120 Manchester-based DHC physicians and enable the Manchester system to coordinate and enhance its healthcare delivery within a larger regional network.
"This affiliation is a definitive step for Dartmouth-Hitchcock toward realizing our vision of creating the healthiest population possible in the communities we serve, improving access to high quality care and addressing unmet health needs in the Manchester community," said Thomas Colacchio, MD, president pro tempore of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health. "CMC and Dartmouth-Hitchcock have worked cooperatively in the Manchester community for over five years, and we look forward to continuing to deliver efficient and integrated care through this important affiliation."