Mayo Regional, Northern Light merger receives DHHS approval

File Photo The merger of Mayo Regional Hospital, shown here, and Northern Light Health received approval Thursday from the state Department of Health and Human Services.

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By Staff

The pending merger of Mayo Regional Hospital and Northern Light Health cleared one of its final regulatory hurdles Thursday, when the state Department of Health and Human Services granted a certificate of need for the affiliation.

The 25-bed hospital in Dover-Foxcroft and the state’s second-largest health care system began exploring a possible union in 2018.

Since then, the merger has been discussed in the 13 communities Mayo serves, and received approvals from the hospital’s and the health system’s boards. The state Legislature and Gov. Janet Mills have also greenlighted the merger by approving a change in the state charter that created Mayo.

But a certificate of need was required, as it is for most acquisitions, mergers, expansions or developments of health care facilities in Maine.

The DHHS Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew granted the certificate with standard requirements to share financial results, quality outcomes, and service statistics for three years after the merger is complete, according to a news release.

Northern Light President and CEO Michelle Hood said, “The approval of the certificate of need is an important step in welcoming Mayo Regional into our integrated healthcare system. While there is still much work to be done, we remain on target to complete the final steps of the legal and regulatory processes in early 2020.”

During the coming months, teams at Mayo and Northern Light will begin working to integrate their business and clinical processes. Marie Vienneau, Mayo president and CEO, said, “This approval allows us to begin more in-depth collaborations with our Northern Light Health colleagues across the system — opening up doors to a wealth of expertise and opportunity.”