Dartmouth-Hitchcock and GraniteOne Sign Agreement

Nine months after signing a Letter of Intent (LOI), the Boards of Trustees of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health (D-HH)in Lebanon and GraniteOne Health (GOH) in Manchester and their member organizations have signed an agreement to combine the two health care systems.  

The combined non-profit health care system will be called Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health GraniteOne.

According to a statement, the integrated system will transform health care delivery in NH while maintaining member’s local identities, traditions and community commitments, including the distinct Catholic model of health care provided by Catholic Medical Center. All organizations within the combined system will also keep their current names and local leadership.

The Most Reverend Peter Libasci, Bishop of Manchester, has also issued a  nihil obstat , or declaration of no objection, allowing the Combination to proceed. These steps mark significant milestones in the approval process; the health care systems are now preparing their submissions to the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Charitable Trusts Unit and Consumer Protection Bureau, as well as to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for review and approval.

“Our goal has been, and continues to be, to provide access to the highest-quality care for the people of New Hampshire, right here at home,” said Joanne M. Conroy, MD, CEO and President of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health and Dartmouth-Hitchcock. “Combining our systems will enable us to more effectively and efficiently use the existing capacity of our two systems, expand capacity where and when necessary, and enhance existing services across all the hospitals in our systems and in our communities, in order to meet growing patient demand, particularly in southern New Hampshire.”

 “I’ve worked in health care in New Hampshire for 30 years and have seen firsthand, in business and in our communities, that we can achieve great things when we work together,” says Joseph Pepe, MD, CEO and President of GraniteOne Health. “Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health GraniteOne is an example of that—a real New Hampshire-based solution to provide the best care, in the right place, at the right time.”