Exeter Hospital to join Beth Israel Lahey Health system
Jul. 4—Beth Israel Lahey Health and Exeter Health Resources Inc. have signed an agreement that will bring the local health care system under the Beth Israel Lahey Health umbrella.
The Beth Israel Lahey Health group includes several hospitals in the Greater Boston area and on the north shore of Massachusetts. Exeter Health includes Exeter Hospital, Core Physicians and Rockingham Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice.
In signing the agreement, the organizations hope to "enhance and expand local access to high-quality care" in the Granite State.
The signing of the agreement follows on the heels of a letter of intent signed earlier this year.
"In the months ahead, we look forward to continuing to engage with state and federal regulators with the goal of welcoming Exeter Health Resources to our Beth Israel Lahey Health family, so that we can partner to advance our shared commitment to ensuring that individuals and communities in New Hampshire have access to exceptional care close to home," said Kevin Tabb, MD, president and CEO of Beth Israel Lahey Health. "Exeter has been an integral part of the New Hampshire community for more than 125 years, and together we can build on that legacy of service and excellence for many years to come."
The proposed transaction is now subject to state and federal regulatory review, a process expected to take a number of months.
Those reviews — undertaken in an effort to make sure health care mergers are not anti-competitive and won't raise prices — blocked a deal for Exeter a few years ago.
In 2018, Exeter explored an affiliation with Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston in a deal that would have brought Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover under the same umbrella — but the state Attorney General's Office blocked the deal in 2019 over concerns it would decrease competition for hospital care on the Seacoast, and could lead to higher prices for patients.
"The nation has experienced considerable consolidation in health care over the past two decades, and New Hampshire is no exception," read the 2019 report from the state Attorney General's Office on that rejected proposal.
"The opportunity for Exeter to join with BILH is an important, responsible step towards ensuring our long-term sustainability while advancing health care on the local level here in New Hampshire," said Kevin Callahan, president and CEO of Exeter Health Resources, Inc. "I am confident that our proposed relationship would result in greater access to health care services, more patient choice, and a significant advancement in affordable and sustainable healthcare for all of New Hampshire. We are excited about what this relationship can bring to our communities, and we look forward to sharing additional information as our journey towards a stronger future continues."
New Hampshire has only four other independent hospitals: Cottage Hospital in Woodsville, Speare Memorial Hospital in Plymouth, Valley Hospital in Claremont and Littleton Regional Hospital. Ten companies control the remaining 22 hospitals and medical centers.
