It’s been a difficult couple of years for Yale New Haven Health CEO Christopher O’Connor.
But despite all of his system’s fiscal and legal challenges, he still can smile about this: Yale New Haven Hospital remained the state’s top-rated facility for 2025-26 in U.S. News & World Report’s annual Best Hospitals rankings, which were published in July.
That may help take some of the sting out of trying to unwind YNHH from its $435 million purchase of Manchester Memorial, Rockville General and Waterbury hospitals, all owned by Prospect Medical Holdings. The two sides finally worked out a settlement agreement in September, announcing they were seeking court approval for YNHH to pay $45 million to resolve the litigation between them.
In addition, YNHH announced in March it was restructuring its operations, including eliminating an unknown number of positions. That was followed in July by the system offering voluntary retirement packages to certain senior employees, stating that effort was necessary to navigate “a rapidly changing healthcare landscape.”
O’Connor oversees the largest health system in the state, which reported $7.2 billion in operating revenue in fiscal year 2024, according to audited financial statements. It includes Yale New Haven Hospital, Bridgeport Hospital, Greenwich Hospital, Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London, and Westerly Hospital in Rhode Island.
He has had a long career in health care. Before becoming CEO of YNHH, he held several key roles, such as president, executive vice president and chief operating officer. O’Connor previously also served as president and CEO of the Hospital of St. Raphael.