Brown Rudnick Represents St. Mary's Hospital in Its Unprecedented, Successful State Bid for Heart Care Program.

BOSTON -- In Connecticut, public-private partnership reshapes and extends cardiac care

Brown Rudnick, a premier international law firm, has recently completed its successful representation of one of the three partners who, on Friday, July 23 in an unprecedented decision, received approval from the Connecticut Office of Health Care Access of the partners' application for a comprehensive heart care program.

Brown Rudnick's client, St. Mary's Hospital (Waterbury, CT), in partnership with Waterbury Hospital and the University of Connecticut Health Center, submitted a Certificate of Need (CON) application last year under the Connecticut CON statute for a comprehensive cardiac program, including open heart surgery and primary and elective angioplasty to serve the Greater Waterbury Connecticut region. Dr. J. Robert Galvin, state health commissioner, announced his decision to approve this application based on, among several criteria, the "contribution of the proposal to the quality, accessibility, and cost effectiveness of health care delivery in the region" and "public need." These evaluation factors consider the size and demographics of the areas to be serviced by the new program and the time it takes to travel from the Waterbury area to hospitals that currently offer both surgery and elective angioplasty. Also part of the elements considered in approving this application are the "teaching and research responsibilities of the applicant." Surgeons, on-site training and supervision will be provided by the University of Connecticut Health Center.

Robert Anthony, partner at Brown Rudnick and leader of the team that assisted in this effort, commented, "It has been a true privilege to be part of this milestone in Connecticut's health care initiatives. The need has been established, and now the resources and advocacy are in place. We are very happy and proud to see this successful outcome."

Over the last dozen years, St. Mary's and Waterbury Hospitals have been denied approval to provide these cardiac services, and many other cardiac applications have been denied in the State of Connecticut during this period of time. With the July 23 announcement, availability of these critical health services is significantly extended. Also significant are the collaborative efforts between the private and public entities. The new level of services is expected to be available within the next six months to a year.

Brown Rudnick's legal team supported this application to operate a "one stop postoperative model for post procedure care" through an interdisciplinary slate of expertise including healthcare, corporate, real estate and administrative law, as well as government relations.

St. Mary's Hospital, an acute care hospital with 379 beds, has been a long-standing client of the firm for more than seven years. During this tenure, Brown Rudnick has assisted the Hospital with matters such as joint venture transactions, managed care contracting, confidentiality and HIPAA privacy matters, lobbying, and advice related to fraud and abuse and regulatory matters.

The expanded cardiac services will be managed by the Waterbury Area Heart Center (WAHC), a management services organization established by the applicants. Commenting on this landmark decision, Dr. Galvan said, "This program represents an innovative and collaborative venture by two hospitals with a close relationship together to provide comprehensive health services to over 300,000 people in the Waterbury area."

About Brown Rudnick Berlack Israels LLP 

Brown Rudnick Berlack Israels LLP is a full-service, international law firm with offices in the United States and Europe. The firm's 200 attorneys provide representation across key areas of the law: Health Care, Corporate & Securities, Real Estate, Government Law & Strategies, Finance, Bankruptcy & Corporate Restructuring, Energy, Intellectual Property and Complex Litigation. Combining a dedication to excellence with the implementation of sophisticated technologies, Brown Rudnick provides its clients with a breadth and depth of expertise uniquely suited to their legal needs.

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