CONCORD, N.H.- District 3 Executive Councilor Janet Stevens has asked the New Hampshire Attorney General’s office to examine Catholic Medical Center’s plans to end outpatient behavioral health services by the end of the month.
In a letter to the Attorney General’s office Stevens said she’s worried about the plan to transition some 700 patients to new practices and notes that the lack of advance warning and the potential disruption in care are cause for concern.
As Stevens says she was informed by CMC’s CEO John Skevington that the hospital started informing patients during the weekend of February 20th over the phone with official letters of referral to follow.
Stevens is also worried this is a repeat of the drama that occurred when Beth Israel Lahey Health acquired Exeter Hospital.
Last week the Attorney General’s office said it’s reviewing the plan but is asking for more time. The review marks the second time State officials reviewed the actions of the Manchester hospital as the department’s Charitable Trust Unit and Consumer Protection and Antitrust bureau previously reviewed the sale of the hospital to HCA Healthcare.
Officials at CMC say the move is part of a larger effort to stabilize the hospital as it faced bankruptcy before it was purchased by HCA.
