The Washington State Department of Health will not review the proposed affiliation between Franciscan Health System in Tacoma and Harrison Medical Center in Bremerton after many had called for tougher scrutiny of state hospital transactions, according to a Seattle Times report.
Harrison and Franciscan signed a nonbinding letter of intent to join last October. Hospital officials expected the deal to be finalized this past June, but several civil rights and healthcare advocacy groups have openly opposed the mergers and acquisitions between Catholic and secular hospitals. Franciscan is part of Catholic Health Initiatives, based in Englewood, Colo.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) had previously directed the Department of Health to update the certificate of need process for hospital mergers and affiliations, but the state said the deal between Harrison and Franciscan can move forward, according to the report. Under the terms of the deal, Harrison will remain secular, but it will follow the ethical guidelines under CHI and Franciscan.
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