Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | JANUARY 26, 2026 21 FOCUS | HE ALTH CARE HHC seeks to acquire Wallingford-based cardiologist group for $3M Fresh off acquiring two hospitals east of the Connecticut River, Hartford HealthCare is now seeking to acquire a large cardiologist group based in Wallingford for $3 million. Hartford HealthCare Medical Group Inc. (HHCMG), a unit of the state's second-largest health system, filed a certificate of need (CON) application with the state Office of Health Strategy to acquire Consulting Cardiologists P.C., a privately held for-profit cardiology prac- tice based at 1062 Barnes Road, in Wall- ingford, but with offices in three counties. The application states that HHCMG's total capital expenditure for the acquisi- tion would be $3 million. HHCMG proposes acquiring the assets of the cardiologist group via its subsidiary, Hartford HealthCare Medical Group Specialist PLLC. Once the acquisition is complete, the physicians, staff and offices would be integrated into HHCMG under the direction of the Hartford Health- Care Heart & Vascular Institute, the application states. A spokesperson for HHC said the health system cannot comment on pending state regulatory approvals. Founded in 1971, Consulting Cardi- ologists has provided cardiac care to patients for nearly 55 years. It has 16 physicians and five advanced practitioners, with 10 offices located in Avon, Cheshire, Glastonbury, Hartford, Manchester, Middletown, Wall- ingford, West Hartford and Wethers- field. The practice serves patients who primarily reside in Hartford, Middlesex and New Haven counties. The application states it has become "increasingly difficult for private prac- titioners to sustain the costs" of doing business, including those for recruiting, succession planning, competitive wage- and-benefit offerings for staff, new technology and state-of-the-art equip- ment. All of that is needed, HHCMG states, "to participate in value-based care models and to continue to provide high-quality care within the community." The application adds that the challenges have led private practices to align with health systems or other entities to help manage the costs and provide the needed infrastructure. OHS will need to approve the deal before it can be finalized. As of Jan. 1, HHC officially took ownership of Manchester Memorial and Rockville General hospitals, formerly owned by the for-profit, Califor- nia-based Prospect Medical Holdings. David Krechevsky | HBJ Staff Writer UConn Health, UnitedHealthcare agree to new contract Unlike its contentious public dispute with another health insurer, Farming- ton-based UConn Health has reached an agreement on a new contract with UnitedHealthcare. The health system said earlier this month it reached a new multiyear agreement, a little more than three weeks before the existing contract was set to expire Jan. 31. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed. In a presentation to its board of trustees in December, UConn Health said the Unit- edHealthcare contract covers more than 27,000 patients. UConn Health CEO Dr. Andrew Agwunobi said the new agreement "demonstrates what is possible when insurers and providers work together to protect patient access while fairly compensating the institutions that deliver care." The comment about fair compensa- tion refers to UConn Health's ongoing, contentious contract negotiations with Aetna Inc., which have yet to produce an agreement. The previous three-year contract expired at midnight Nov. 30, removing UConn Health from Aetna's network for thousands of patients, though some remain covered under a 60-day grace period through the end of January. A key sticking point in negotiations has been UConn Health's claim that it receives "some of the lowest commer- cial reimbursement rates of any hospital in Connecticut." Aetna, which is owned by Rhode Island-based CVS Health, counters that UConn Health "wants to be one of the most expensive health systems in New England." David Krechevsky | HBJ Staff Writer Consulting Cardiologists' office is located at 1062 Barnes Road in Wallingford. Photo | CoStar Dr. Andrew Agwunobi Are your clients concerned about their legacy? With tax season just around the corner, your clients probably have planning on their minds. dime-bank.com • 860.859.4300 • What better time to talk about Wealth Management, Comprehensive Trust, and Estate Planning Services, done locally. Trust in Dime. Colchester | East Lyme | Glastonbury | Ledyard | Manchester | Montville New London | Norwich: Broadway, Corporate, Norwichtown Stonington Borough | Taftville | Vernon | Westerly, RI

• Cover