Posted:Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Partners HealthCare and Care New England Health System today announced the signing of a definitive agreement formalizing Partners’ planned acquisition of Care New England (CNE). The affiliation will help ensure that high-quality, affordable care remains available through the CNE institutions for the people of Rhode Island.

“Today marks an important milestone for Rhode Island health care,” said Care New England President and CEO James E. Fanale, MD. “Care New England has made significant progress in the last year to strengthen our financial outlook, and now while we will work through this important regulatory process, I am confident our affiliation with Partners will help us further invest in quality local care for the community, building upon the tremendous successes already in place.”

“We believe that this partnership will further strengthen an already robust local health care system and provide opportunities for new investments in patient care, research, and health care innovation in Rhode Island,” said David F. Torchiana, MD, President and CEO, Partners HealthCare.

The goals of the affiliation include building on the existing clinical relationships between the parties, ensuring ongoing clinical research and educational collaboration in support of the parties’ charitable missions, enabling the organizations to more efficiently use their resources, and establishing effective and expanded approaches to population health management.

This agreement builds upon the successful clinical affiliation between Partners’ Brigham and Women’s Hospital and CNE’s Kent Hospital on cardiology and surgical services, a partnership that’s provided Rhode Island patients with a collaborative care model that has enhanced local services since 2009.

“On behalf of the Care New England board, we are extremely pleased to reach this agreement today. We are excited about the opportunities this presents for CNE and Partners, but perhaps even more importantly for patients and their families in our state and the region,” said Charles R. Reppucci, chair, CNE Board of Directors.

“Partners has enjoyed a decade-long relationship with Care New England that’s brought specialized Brigham Health services to patients right here in Rhode Island,” said Brigham Health President Elizabeth Nabel, MD. “Our agreement today will solidify our collaboration, deepen that commitment to quality local care, and will also mean new investments in Brown University-led research, with the important goal of continuing to strengthen the relationship with The Warren Alpert Medical School.”

“Preserving and strengthening health care and biomedical research and innovation in Rhode Island continues to be an important priority,” Brown University President Christina Paxson said. “As Brown’s discussions with Partners and Care New England continue, I am optimistic that we can address the various concerns that I raised earlier this year.

“Brown has a long and productive partnership with Care New England, and the continued success of Care New England is important to the University and to the people of Rhode Island. Brown will continue to support collaboration among organizations dedicated to serving the health needs of Rhode Islanders and economic development in the state,” Paxson said.

The agreement follows extensive due diligence, internal reviews, and collaborative discussions between the two health care systems. With the signing of the definitive agreement, both organizations agree to move forward to prepare and file all necessary Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and federal regulatory filings, and, upon approval, move forward on Partners’ integration of CNE.

With the signing of the definitive agreement, Partners and CNE will continue discussions with Lifespan. Partners and CNE invited Lifespan to the affiliation conversations earlier this year because the parties share a mutual desire to improve access, quality, and efficiency of care for all Rhode Islanders.

Partners HealthCare is an integrated health system founded by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. In addition to its two academic medical centers, the Partners system includes community and specialty hospitals, community health centers, a physician network, a managed care organization, home health and long-term care services, and other health-related entities. Partners is one of the nation’s leading biomedical research organizations and a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Partners HealthCare is a non-profit organization.

Care New England Health System is a trusted organization that fuels the latest advances in medical research, attracts the nation’s top specialty-trained doctors, hones renowned services and innovative programs, and engages in the important discussions people need to have about their health and end-of-life wishes. Care New England is helping to transform the future of health care, providing a leading voice in the ongoing effort to ensure the health of the individuals and communities we serve.

CNE was founded in 1996, and today it is the parent organization of Butler Hospital, Kent Hospital, Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, Care New England Medical Group, the VNA of Care New England, The Providence Center, and Integra, a certified accountable care organization (ACO) created in collaboration with the Rhode Island Primary Care Physicians Corporation. Care New England includes 970 licensed beds and 216 infant bassinets. Through Butler and Women & Infants hospitals, Care New England has a teaching and research affiliation with The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Kent is a teaching affiliate of the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, located in Maine.