The Massachusetts Department of Health will hold two public hearings next month regarding the proposed merger of five Massachusetts hospitals and health systems, The Salem News reports.
The hearings, scheduled to take place Dec. 5 and Dec. 6, will discuss the proposed merger of the following five healthcare organizations:
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a three-hospital system in Boston
- New England Baptist Hospital in Boston
- Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge
- Lahey Health, a five-hospital system in Burlington
- Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport
If approved, the merged entity would comprise 13 hospitals, 800-plus primary care physicians and approximately 3,500 specialists, according to the report.
Beth Israel Deaconness and Lahey Health agreed to partner in January after waffling on the decision for nearly six years.