Dive Brief:
- Massachusetts healthcare system Partners HealthCare is no longer seeking acquisition of South Shore Hospital; however, it may still seek Hallmark Health System, the organization announced this week.
- The statement did not address the system's potential interest in Emerson Hospital as another target.
- Partners' expansion efforts have met with resistance from competitors, state attorney general Maura Healey, and a Suffolk Superior Court judge.
Dive Insight:
Partners has been sparking controversy for months as it has continued its expansion efforts in the face of antitrust concerns, as Healthcare Dive has previously reported.
The next step: Partners is waiting for the conclusion of a standard federal regulatory review of the potential acquisition of Hallmark Health System merger. The state attorney general says that plan will be further evaluated if Partners seeks to move forward. Meanwhile, outgoing Partners CEO Gary Gottlieb told the Boston Business Journal the plans with Hallmark are now currently on pause.