Lifespan, CNE submit long-awaited application

PROVIDENCE – More than 10 months after first announcing they wanted to merge, Lifespan and Care New England have finally filed their application with the state, a 50,000-page package delivered in print and electronically to both the R.I. Department of Health and Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch’s office, which will review it concurrently.
Lynch and state Health Director Dr. David R. Gifford now have a month to determine whether the application is complete. Once they have – or after any required additions are made – a 180-day review process will begin that officials have said will include extensive opportunities for public input.
If approved, the merger would create an organization that would control about 70 percent of hospital beds in the state, including the four Lifespan hospitals – Rhode Island Hospital, The Miriam Hospital, Newport Hospital and Bradley Hospital – plus Care New England’s Women & Infants Hospital, Kent Hospital and Butler Hospital. &#8226