Exeter Hospital has set up a call center to help patients who will be affected by planned service cuts transition to other providers.
In September, the hospital’s Core Physicians practice told patients it planned to stop offering neurology, podiatry, pediatric dentistry, and allergy and immunology. Those services were initially slated to end by last week. But the hospital agreed to postpone the cuts until March, after the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office stepped in.
State officials have said, however, that there’s an exception for services that can be transitioned to other providers in a way that minimizes the impact on patients.
Core Physicians’ allergy and immunology services have already been discontinued, as its provider has left for another practice, Allergy Associates of New Hampshire, according to the attorney general’s office and a letter to patients reviewed by NH Public Radio (NHPR).
The attorney general’s office also said Core’s two pediatric dentists plan to take over the children’s dental practice in the coming months.
Mike Garrity, a spokesperson for the attorney general’s office, said Exeter Hospital has given assurances that those practices will be able to accept all of Core’s patients.
NHPR asked Exeter Hospital whether Core Physicians would continue offering neurology and podiatry until March, or if those services would also be transferred to other practices, but a spokesperson was unable to respond as of the time this was published.
The attorney general’s office said it’s been told that Exeter Hospital is sending out updates to podiatry, pediatric dental and allergy patients this week, and to neurology patients “in the near future.”
Patients who need help transitioning their care can contact the call center at 603-580-7541 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
In a news release last Wednesday, Exeter Hospital said staff members are also directly contacting patients with longer-term care needs to discuss transition plans.
“As the leading provider of health care programs in the Seacoast region, we are deeply committed to both meeting community health needs and assuring that our operations are sustainable in the long term,” Exeter Hospital President Deb Cresta said in the release. “We recognize that additional time in planning for the transition of several programs would allow us to work collaboratively with provider groups, our patients and state officials to assure that patients maintain continuous access to high-quality services.”
Exeter Hospital was acquired by Massachusetts-based health system Beth Israel Lahey last year. New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella is reviewing whether the planned cuts — which also include an occupational health program and an advanced paramedic service — violate the terms of merger.
— PAUL CUNO-BOOTH/NH PUBLIC RADIO
