Hartford HealthCare makes $86M bid to buy two Connecticut hospitals

Hartford HealthCare is making a bid to purchase two Connecticut hospitals owned by Prospect Medical Holdings.

The health system is looking to acquire Manchester Memorial Hospital and Rockville General Hospital from Prospect, which filed for bankruptcy in January.

ECHN Holdings, a subsidiary of Hartford HealthCare, submitted an $86.1 million bid for the two hospitals, according to documents filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Dallas, Texas last week. The CT Mirror and other Connecticut news media groups reported on the bid.

Manchester Memorial Hospital, a 249-bed community hospital, is based in Manchester, about 10 minutes east of Hartford. Rockville General Hospital is a 100-bed facility. Prospect Medical Holdings acquired the two hospitals, operated under the umbrella Eastern Connecticut Health Network, in 2016.

A nonprofit system, Hartford has submitted its plan to acquire the hospitals as the “stalking horse bidder,” setting the initial bid for Manchester and Rockville.

Hartford HealthCare operates seven acute care hospitals and nearly 500 healthcare locations across Connecticut. The system added over 50 healthcare locations in 2022 and 2023. Assuming the deal is finalized, Hartford would have nine hospitals in the organization.

• Read more: Three New York hospitals poised to see ownership change

Tina Varona, a spokesperson for Hartford HealthCare, submitted a statement from the health system via email that said with Prospect’s restructuring, it’s “a complex process that will unfold over the coming weeks.”

“We are excited to explore this opportunity to advance our mission: To improve the health and healing of all,” Hartford said in the statement.

Hartford touts its ability to help improve the hospitals and offer more care, saying the system is “uniquely qualified to transform healthcare for the better in these communities.”

“We have the capability to stabilize and expand the workforce at these hospitals, provide support to enhance quality and safety, and advance strategic investments in people, programs, technologies, facilities, and community partners,” the system said.

The system has been growing in recent years, and Hartford cites its success in helping raise the bar at other hospitals.

Hartford acquired St. Vincent’s Medical Center, a 520-bed hospital, in Bridgeport, Conn., in 2019. The system also acquired Charlotte Hungerford Hospital, a 122-bed facility, in 2017.

“Every hospital that has joined Hartford HealthCare has experienced measurable positive results that benefit patients — across-the-board top safety ratings from Leapfrog; improved access to primary care, urgent care, and specialty care close to home; and recruitment of world-class clinicians,” Hartford said in a statement.

Hartford HealthCare received the American Hospital Association’s 2025 Quest for Quality Prize. The association lauded Hartford’s efforts to improve patient safety and reduce infections in the health system.

Yale New Haven Health reached a deal with Prospect in 2022 to acquire the two hospitals, along with Waterbury Hospital, but that deal collapsed.

In April, Prospect shut down Crozer Health, a Pennsylvania system that operated two hospitals: Crozer-Chester Medical Center and Taylor Hospital. The two hospitals were based in the Philadelphia suburbs and had served their communities for generations.

With the closure of Crozer Health, Pennsylvania officials are taking a closer look at tighter regulation for private equity in the healthcare industry.

The Connecticut hospital market has seen some changes recently. Northwell Health completed its acquisition of Nuvance Health in May. Nuvance operates seven hospitals in Connecticut and New York.

• Read more: After a drop in hospital deals, merger activity is expected to rise