Faxton St. Luke’s, St. Elizabeth ‘closer’ to affiliation agreement

UTICA — Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare (FSLH) and St. Elizabeth Medical Center (SEMC) over the past two months have moved “several steps closer” to their proposed affiliation agreement, St Elizabeth announced today.

The New York State Project Review Committee of the Public Health and Health Planning Council (PHHPC) on Thursday approved the affiliation proposal, SEMC said.

The PHHPC endorsed the proposal during a Nov. 21 meeting with officials from FSLH and SEMC.

On Wednesday, the hospitals also reached an agreement with the New York State Attorney General’s office over concerns about market competition resulting from the proposed affiliation.

The organizations now move on to the next step in the process.

“We are pleased with the support we have received from the New York State Department of Health and the Attorney General’s office,” Scott Perra, president and CEO of FSLH, said in the news release. “Our last step is next week when we file our notification with the [U.S.] Department of Justice (DOJ) under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act. The DOJ reviews affiliations from an antitrust perspective. If they have no objections, we will be able to move forward with the affiliation as early as the spring of 2014,” Perra said.

The Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act is an antitrust law that requires the approval of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) before companies can merge, according to the FTC website.

The proposed affiliation is a “positive move” for the community, Richard Ketcham, president and CEO of SEMC, said in the same news release.

“While there is still much work to do going forward, the affiliation provides a strong foundation to better respond to the healthcare needs of our community,” Ketcham said.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com