Imagine if a hospital purchase or merger enabled a private hospital company to acquire ownership of a majority of all the hospital beds in Rhode Island.  This company would have extraordinary influence on the cost, quality and access to health care services; the economy of Rhode Island; the health care labor market; and the overall health of Rhode Islanders.

To protect the public's interest in the event of such a merger, State Senator Mary Ellen Goodwin and State Representative Peter Wasylyk have introduced legislation entitled the "Hospital Merger Accountability Act", which would provide greater transparency, accountability and oversight of any merged hospital system that acquires ownership of more than 50% of all hospital beds in Rhode Island.  Click here to read S-0780 (Goodwin) and H-5702 (Wasylyk).

The Hospital Merger Accountability Act would require:

• public appointees to the Board of Trustees of the merged system
• greater public disclosure of the finances of the merged system
• greater public oversight of: 
  • the business plans of the merged system (including expansion, contraction, relocation of clinical services)
  • tthe cost of services provided by the merged system
  • the impact of the merger on unaffiliated hospitals and health care providers
• additional licensure fees to fund the Health Services Council to provide public oversight
• additional licensure fees to fund a hospital ombudsperson to investigate concerns about patient safety & quality, staffing levels, and other patient care issues.

To ask your legislator to support the Hospital Merger Accountability Act, click here.