Boston-based Partners HealthCare closed on its acquisition of Massachusetts Eye and Ear, also in Boston, April 1, the health system announced April 2.
As part of the deal, Mass. Eye and Ear will retain its branding and hospital license, and remain a nonprofit institution with its own board of directors, leadership, medical and research staff, and community outreach and fundraising initiatives.
With the addition of Mass. Eye and Ear, Partners is now an 11-hospital system.
The organizations announced plans to combine in January 2017. The deal received significant scrutiny from the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission, an independent state agency, which argued the deal may raise healthcare spending costs by $20.8 million to $61.2 million per year. However, the state attorney general's office and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health opted not to oppose the transaction.