Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | NOVEMBER 25, 2024 17 state, according to Office of Health Strategy Commissioner Deidre Gifford, who approved PAM Health's market entrance. Such facilities are needed more as the population ages, and Connecticut is getting grayer. "Changes in population, and population health needs, may create a shift in the volume and type of services needed in the future," Gifford said. "Nearly 26% of Connecticut's population will be 60 and older by the year 2030, an increase of 30% from 2012." In its certificate of need application, PAM Health said the "primary users of inpatient rehabilitation services are over age 65." It also said that the new hospital will serve 23 towns in western Connecticut, primarily in Litchfield and New Haven counties, and that over 20% of the population in this service area is elderly — a percentage that continues to grow. Smith said PAM Health chose Connecticut "because there is such a high demand for rehab services." The new hospital will provide 150 full-time and 50 part-time jobs. That will include naming a medical director. The medical staff also could include physicians from local hospi- tals or medical practices who receive credentials to work in the facility, Smith said. Construction is expected to take about 18 months, she said, adding that the project was set to begin this month or in early December. 'Significant overlap' While PAM Health's Connecticut expansion was approved, it was not without opposition. Both Gaylord Hospital and HFSC intervened in the case, claiming the new rehab hospital would be too close to their facilities, creating a "significant overlap" in the patients served. Located on 400 acres in Walling- ford, Gaylord is 13 miles from the PAM Health site in Waterbury. HFSC in New Britain, meanwhile, is about 18 miles from the site. (HFSC also has a satellite location at Mt. Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital in Hartford.) Additionally, Gaylord claimed that PAM Health's calculation of the number of inpatient rehabilitation facility beds needed in Connecticut was "overstated by between 43% and 328%." It said the application was based on "broad assumptions" drawn from its experience in other states and on an "inappropriate extrapolation" of traditional Medicare data "without regard for the reality of post-acute care in Connecticut." Both intervening hospitals also claimed that while PAM Health is an inpatient rehabilitation facility and not an LTACH like Gaylord or HFSC, there is significant overlap that would draw patients away from them. Smith, however, said there are differences between the two types of chronic disease hospitals. "It's really more when we get into … Medicare rules and regulations, our physician requirements and processes, from admission through discharge," she said. "They're very different on what we have to do on the inpatient rehab side." While the interventions failed to prevent PAM Health's market entrance, Gifford, the OHS commissioner, said there is, in fact, some overlap. She noted that in addition to the standalone chronic disease hospi- tals in the state, several traditional, acute-care hospitals — including Danbury, Hartford and Yale New Haven hospitals — also operate inpatient rehabilitation units. "Overlap exists in the patients served by these facilities," Gifford said, adding, "providers may disagree on the extent of that overlap." While they fought against the application, both Gaylord and HFSC provided statements via email offering their respect for the state's decision. Smith, meanwhile, said PAM Health is ready to be the state's third chronic disease hospital. "We're excited to finally get into the market," she said. A design of PAM Health's inpatient rehabilitation hospital planned in Waterbury. CONTRIBUTED At the forefront of renewable energy in Connecticut and the Northeast. Our energy attorneys are known for taking on projects that involve "first of their kind" technologies or issues, focusing on large-scale renewable energy projects, energy storage systems, and distributed generation installations. Pullman's experience spans wind, solar, battery energy storage systems, hydroelectric, biofuel, fuel cells and combined heat and power (CHP) systems. Our interdisciplinary team serves clients in the growing and evolving areas of climate change, sustainability, alternative energy, distributed generation, renewable energy credits, carbon trading, energy storage, greenhouse gas initiatives and project finance. BRIDGEPORT HARTFORD SPRINGFIELD WAKEFIELD WESTPORT WHITE PLAINS 203.330.2000 860.424.4300 413.314.6160 401.360.1533 203.254.5000 914.705.5355 pullcom.com For more information visit: pullcom.com/practices-alternativeenergy

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