SB 1452, An Act Concerning Hospital-Affiliated Physicians

TESTIMONY OF THE CONNECTICUT HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION
SUBMITTED TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE

Monday, March 10, 2025

The Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) appreciates this opportunity to submit testimony concerning SB 1452, An Act Concerning Hospital-Affiliated Physicians. CHA opposes the legislation.

Connecticut hospitals and health systems care for patients, strengthen the state’s economy, and support vulnerable communities across the state. Every day, they work to improve healthcare access, affordability, and health equity. Even as they face ongoing challenges, hospitals provide world-class care to everyone who walks through their doors, regardless of their ability to pay. Hospitals also support an exemplary workforce as the largest collective employer in the state, contribute significantly to the state’s economy, and invest in their communities addressing social drivers of health.

The leadership, clinicians, and staff at hospitals and health systems in Connecticut take seriously their responsibility to operate hospitals in the best interests of the patients and communities these organizations exist to serve. How to position a hospital best to meet that patient and community obligation both in the long-term and day-to-day requires a multi-disciplinary team that has a to-the-minute understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing the hospital. The ability to operate the hospital using the best information available, with a clear and whole picture of the organization, is imperative to lasting success.

SB 1452 would see the state of Connecticut insert itself in the core operations of every hospital in the state, creating yet another certificate of need-like process hospitals would have to go through to get approval for staffing and human resource decisions that are the inherent responsibility of the management of the hospital and not the state of Connecticut. The bill would tie the hands of hospital leadership across the state, delaying or even preventing operational changes that are in the best interest of the hospital and the patients they serve. This bill could have negative, lasting impacts on patient safety, the quality of care provided at hospitals, and the financial viability of the organizations.

An accountability model for operational decisions made by hospital management already exists. Hospital leadership consults regularly with medical staff on day-to-day imperatives such as the scope and breadth of medical services, quality, patient safety, and technology. They work directly with their affiliated and contracted group practices to ensure appropriate staffing levels in the hospitals and to ensure service delivery that aligns with community and patient needs. Finally, they are accountable to the hospital’s board of trustees, which is ultimately responsible for seeing that the mission of the hospital is fulfilled.

Hospitals cannot be successful if the expectation is that every operational decision is run through and approved by the state, most especially under the bill’s standards for approval. It is not a recipe that provides patients and communities in the state with the best possible care. It would likely do the exact opposite. We ask that the bill not move forward.

Thank you for your consideration of our position. For additional information, contact CHA Government Relations at (203) 294-7301.