Dartmouth-Hitchcock Agrees to Merge With GraniteOne Health

The merging systems said they will retain their local identities, traditions, names, and leadership.

Nine months after the two New Hampshire health systems signed a letter of intent to merge, Lebanon-based Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health and Manchester-based GraniteOne Health announced Wednesday that they have signed a combination agreement to do so.

The combined nonprofit, which will be named Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health GraniteOne, will be better positioned to meet rising demand for integrated care throughout the region, resulting in a local option at a lower cost than out-of-state providers, the companies said in their announcement.

"Our goal has been, and continues to be, to provide access to the highest-quality care for the people of New Hampshire, right here at home," said Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health CEO and President Joanne M. Conroy, MD, in a statement. "Combining our systems will enable us to more effectively and efficiently use the existing capacity of our two systems, expand capacity where and when necessary, and enhance existing services across all the hospitals in our systems and in our communities, in order to meet growing patient demand, particularly in southern New Hampshire."

GraniteOne Health CEO Joseph Pepe, MD, similarly said the combined system will be better positioned to offer the right care at the right place and the right time.

"I’ve worked in health care in New Hampshire for 30 years and have seen firsthand, in business and in our communities, that we can achieve great things when we work together," Pepe said in the statement.

The merger includes Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, so the combination is proceeding without objection from the the Bishop of Manchester.

The organizations said they will preserve their local identities, traditions, community commitments, current names, and local leadership. They are no preparing to submit their plans to the Federal Trade Commission and  New Hampshire Attorney General's Office, which recently blocked an effort by Boston-based Partners HealthCare's flagship Massachusetts General Hospital to acquire facilities in the Granite State.