Yale New Haven (Conn.) Health System's proposed acquisition of three hospitals has attracted concern from local advocates who fear less competition will cause prices to spike, the Yale Daily News reported Nov. 11.
The health system is on the verge of acquiring three Connecticut hospitals from Prospect Medical Holdings: Waterbury Hospital, Rockville General Hospital in Vernon and Manchester Memorial Hospital. According to the student newspaper, this could be a move to access a population serviced by competitors Hartford (Conn.) Healthcare and Livonia, Mich.-based Trinity Health, as many of Yale New Haven Health's current patients are insured by Medicare and Medicaid.
Vin Petirini, vice president of Yale New Haven Health, will file for a certificate of need in the coming weeks to garner state approval for the acquisition.
John Brady, RN, vice president of AFT Connecticut, a labor federation with more than 90 participating unions, will sit on the 16-person task force that will make recommendations to the state regarding merger conditions.
"Consolidation of healthcare systems worries us,” Mr. Brady told the newspaper, "both because it decreases competition, which leads to increased costs for the residents, but also it decreases services. … As hospitals take over several hospitals, they have a tendency to eliminate one service or another at some of their hospitals to consolidate them.
"We’re not necessarily opposed to [YNHHS] being the buyer as long as certain conditions are guaranteed, including things like maintaining services, not having prices go up."
Mr. Petrini defended the health system's intentions. He told the newspaper Yale New Haven Health's previous acquisitions reflect additional investments in clinical services and said the consolidation would increase competition with Hartford HealthCare and Trinity Health.
"[This is an opportunity to] reinforce what we’ve done with other hospitals like Lawrence + Memorial and Milford and St. Raphael over the years to sustain jobs in those local communities, but most importantly, to provide access to high-quality care and sustain that access and grow it over time," Mr. Petrini told the newspaper. "And they had multiple bidders on it, too. We were selected."