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2nd state entity OKs proposed Beth Israel Deaconess, Lahey Health merger

The Massachusetts Public Health Council approved the proposed merger between Boston-based Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Burlington, Mass.-based Lahey Health and three other healthcare organizations April 4, The Boston Globe reports.

The PHC is the second state entity to endorse the proposed deal. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health approved the transaction in March.

At least two more regulatory hurdles remain for Beth Israel Deaconess, Lahey Health and their partners. The proposed merger must also garner approval from the state's watchdog organization, the Health Policy Commission, and Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey.

If successful, the proposed deal would create a 13-hospital system through the combination of five healthcare organizations: Beth Israel Deaconess; Lahey Health; Boston-based New England Baptist Hospital; Cambridge, Mass.-based Mount Auburn Hospital; and Newburyport, Mass.-based Anna Jaques Hospital.

The merged organization would also become one of the largest health systems in the region, competing with the state's most dominant system, Boston-based Partners HealthCare, which comprises Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital — both in Boston — among several other hospitals.

"I feel very good and energized," Kevin Tabb, MD, president and CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess, told The Boston Globe. "I think there's a general recognition that this makes sense, that this is long overdue in this market, and that ultimately it will be good ... first and foremost for patients."

Dr. Tabb is slated to become CEO of the merged organization, according to the report.

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