The state Attorney General's office will allow a proposed affiliation between two New Hampshire hospital systems to move forward.
Elliot Hospital in Manchester and Southern New Hampshire Health in Nashua announced plans last year to combine into a new health entity, called SolutionHealth. Officials with both hospitals say the merger will improve access to health care for consumers in the region.
In a report released Monday, state reviewers say information about the merger provided by the two hospitals "lacks the specificity needed to confirm that it is in the best interest of the communities the organizations serve."
Among the concerns raised in the report is that the merger could reduce competition among health providers in Southern New Hampshire, possibly leading to increased costs for consumers.
But state reviewers determined that the merger can proceed as proposed by the hospitals.
