State: Littleton can leave hospital group under conditions
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The attorney general's office says Littleton Regional Hospital can withdraw from an affiliation with other North Country hospitals if it pays a withdrawal fee of at least $2.5 million and meets other conditions.
The North Country Healthcare collaborative was created in 2015 to help cut costs and keep health care accessible to rural communities. But the largest member, Littleton Regional, pulled out in April.
In a report Monday, the attorney general's office said Littleton Regional must support a home health and hospice agency, add rooms for behavioral health patients and continue to serve as the state's regional hub for substance use disorder services.
The other hospitals in the cooperative are Androscoggin Valley in Berlin, Weeks Medical Center in Lancaster and Upper Connecticut Valley in Colebrook.