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New York (WWNY) – Conflicting news releases Thursday have raised questions about the status of a potential partnership between North Star Health Alliance and Rochester Regional Health
North Star released a statement Thursday afternoon announcing its intent to partner with Rochester Regional Health. About two hours later, Rochester Regional issued its own statement saying it had not entered into a definitive agreement or binding relationship with North Star. The release caught Rochester Regional’s board of directors off guard, 7 News was told
North Star subsequently acknowledged its earlier announcement was published before Rochester Regional had the opportunity to participate in a coordinated announcement, and said it regrets the timing
Assemblyman Scott Gray, R-116th District, said the two health systems are still working through what a partnership might involve
“It could be what we refer to as a MSA — a management service agreement. It could be from anywhere from that to a full affiliation,” Gray said
Gray said he does not expect the miscommunication to derail ongoing conversations
“No harm, no foul. No blood, no foul in this case,” he said
The state department of health said in a statement, ““North Star Health Alliance agreed to identify potential long-term partnerships to secure a path to financial sustainability, for consideration by the New York State Department of Health. The Department supports Rochester Regional Health’s proposal submitted to North Star Health Alliance.”
Gray said in a potential partnership, much of the work of bringing North Star to a financially stable position would fall on Rochester Regional. He said clear communication would need to happen before any partnership could begin
“Communication is key, and that was my message last week to Andrew Manzer, the CEO. Messaging is critically important here,” Gray said
In a statement, Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush, R-117th District, said, “While a potential partnership with Rochester Regional Health is a very positive development for North Star, the process still has several steps to go before anything is final. Public forums must be held, community input must be considered and any agreement must receive the appropriate approvals.”
He added, “We want to be hopeful, but we also have a responsibility to be accurate. Employees, patients and their families have already faced tremendous uncertainty, and we do not want to raise false expectations before the facts are confirmed.”
Rochester Regional Health said it will continue to participate in discussions with the state and North Star, and that any future partnership will be subject to its own approval
The state added that any plan would need approval in bankruptcy court as well
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