Regional giant Hartford HealthCare and 213-bed Norwich Hospital are formally engaged and say they will now seek official blessing of state and federal authorities for their planned union.
The board of Backus Corp., Norwich Hospital’s owner, voted late Thursday to approve the union which was tentatively agreed to back in February, both operators said Friday.
The deal would give Hartford HealthCare its first presence in southeastern Connecticut.
Backus Hospital generated $274 million in revenues in 2010.
Among agencies that must sign off on the combination is the Connecticut Office of Health Care Access, the state Attorney General, and the Federal Trade Commission.
That process will take several months, officials said.
An affiliation, officials say, would enable both organizations to share the knowledge and expertise of their staffs and physicians, and give patients easier access to a wider range of services and treatments.
Backus would become a member of the Hartford HealthCare network, which has grown in recent years with the addition of the Hospital of Central Connecticut as well as several major physician and eye surgery groups.
The Hartford HealthCare network also includes Hartford Hospital, MidState Medical Center in Meriden, Natchaug Hospital in Mansfield, Windham Hospital and a wide spectrum of additional pre- and post-acute health services.
Aside from Backus Hospital, Backus Corp. also owns Backus Health Care, Inc., Backus Home Health Care, Backus Physician Services, Community Medical Partners, CONNCare, and WWB Corp.
