Arnold Menchel News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

As Hartford HealthCare seeks to expand its footprint in Fairfield, Windham and Litchfield counties, it’s facing some pushback from nearby competitors. The second-largest healthcare system in the state — which operates seven acute-care hospitals — has been working to establish an outpatient surgical center in Plainfield, while seeking approvals to acquire more than 51% stakes in existing surgical centers in Torrington and Wilton. HHC is also looking to take over governance control of a Trumbull-based surgical center.

It’s no secret that Connecticut’s roster of independent hospitals has been shrinking over the past decade. While some unaffiliated hospital CEOs still foresee an independent future, at least one said joining a larger healthcare group is inevitable due to financial constraints and pressures to keep up with modern-day technology, including electronic health records.

As hospitals and other entities continue to acquire physician groups in Connecticut, state regulators, policymakers and others are increasingly concerned the trend could lead to less competition and higher costs for consumers, including businesses that often foot the bill for employee healthcare costs. In response, state lawmakers earlier this year passed a law that requires the Office of Health Strategy (OHS), which oversees the healthcare industry, to create a working group to study and recommend new regulations for physician practice mergers and acquisitions.

By Liese Klein Surgical Care Affiliates, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group’s Optum division, filed a certificate of need with the state late last year to take a controlling interest in the Bloomfield facility, along with another bid to take control of a Stamford ambulatory surgical center. Surgical Care Affiliates took over management of the Bloomfield center in December, adding to its roster of eight other surgical facilities across the state. Optum has also made recent moves to add to its portfolio of Connecticut physician practices, which includes one of the state’s larg...

Image Jennifer Pedevillano Jennifer Pedevillano, a partner in employment law at Hartford’s Halloran & Sage LLP, finds herself frequently calling clients back after a meeting to update them on changes in regulations relating to the constantly shifting pandemic. Many times, clients will also call her multiple times on the same issue as state and federal guidance evolves. “There’s always a new question for us to tackle,” Pedevillano said. “We’ve found a lot of clients have been reaching repeatedly during this time because of the changing legal landscape.” Dealing with law around CO...