🔒State OKs Hartford HealthCare taking majority control of Bridgeport surgical center

State health regulators have approved a corporate governance change that gives Hartford HealthCare majority control of an outpatient surgical center in Bridgeport. The decision by the state Office of Health Strategy was issued on Thursday and concluded that the change will not raise costs or limit patient choice. HHC had filed a certificate of need application in August last year seeking to take a majority of seats on the board overseeing the Surgical Center of Connecticut, at 4920 Main St. in Bridgeport. The application proposed changing the board composition so that HHC SurgeryCenter Holdings LLC, an HHC subsidiary, will appoint three of five members to both SCA-Main Street LLC — the majority owner of SCC — and SCC’s board of managers. The change does not involve the sale of ownership stakes or any capital expenditure; instead, it shifts board control. HHC, through HHC Surgery, already indirectly owns nearly 64% of the center but previously did not control board appointments. Regulators determined the proposal meets state statutory requirements and is financially feasible, noting the center has maintained positive operating margins and projects continued growth in surgical volume. The Surgical Center of Connecticut has three operating rooms and one procedure room at its facility in Bridgeport. It provides outpatient services, including gastroenterology, orthopedics, gynecology, urology, neurosurgery and pain management. State officials concluded the change is likely to improve the quality of care by allowing fuller clinical integration into HHC’s system. They cited expected benefits, such as participating in systemwide quality initiatives, sharing data reporting, infection control collaboration and cybersecurity protections. OHS also found no evidence that the transaction would raise costs. Self-pay prices are projected to remain flat, and commercial insurance contracts already include negotiated annual increases of 2.5%. About 70% of the center’s payer mix consists of Medicare and Medicaid patients. The agency determined the move would not duplicate services or reduce competition in the region, which includes 11 outpatient surgery providers and multiple hospital outpatient departments.