Worcester Business Journal

F OC U S H E A L T H C A R E BY EMILY MICUCCI Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer W hile other Central Massachusetts hospi- tal systems are shed- ding services or weighing mergers, Southbridge-based Harrington HealthCare System is considering an out-of-state expansion. Harrington President and CEO Edward Moore said the healthcare sys- tem serving South Worcester County and parts of Northeastern Connecticut is in the midst of negotiating contracts with Connecticut health insurers in order to position Harrington to treat more patients living there. Moore said Harrington is more than halfway through the process. "Over the next six months, I'm hoping that will all be completed, and then we'll be able to go look at specific office space for specific programs," Moore said. Moore said Harrington has a shot at gaining some patient volume in the Connecticut towns that border South Worcester County, including Thompson and Woodstock. Thompson directly bor- ders Webster, where Harrington's Remillard Family Emergency Center is located. Much of Northeastern Connecticut are primarily served by Putnam-based Day Kimball Healthcare. Behavioral health, urgent care eyed Though hospital executives haven't determined which services Harrington might add in Connecticut, Moore said they would be outpatient offices rather than hospital facilities. He named behavioral health and urgent care ser- vices as two possibilities, along with other in-demand specialty services. Meanwhile, Moore said Harrington is talking with doctors in Northeastern Connecticut about growing by treating patients at Harrington facilities. Those doctors are pursuing licensure to practice in Massachusetts, he said. More details by summer A marketing survey of Northeastern Connecticut consumers over the sum- mer showed people in the region are open to a new provider, said Moore. Harrington will complete a formal sur- vey of healthcare needs next summer. "I don't think we will be ready to open anything, but I think we will have surveyed and have a strategy down there about how to move into that mar- ket," Moore said. Because Harrington is not considering building a hospital facility, the system does not have to seek licensure from the State of Connecticut to open doors. Preparing for risk-based health care Expanding into Connecticut would be a shrewd move for Harrington, said Lynn Nicholas, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association. She said Harrington, one of the state's stronger community hospi- tal systems, is likely trying to position itself for the industry's migration to risk-based insurance contracting by increasing the size of its patient popula- tion with out-of-state expansion. for Connecticut expansion Next up in Edward Moore's bag of tricks for the continued health of Harrington HealthCare is a potential move into Northeast Connecticut 12 Worcester Business Journal | November 21, 2016 | wbjournal.com P H O T O S / N A T H A N F I S K E

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