NH hospital systems pursue affiliation

LEBANON, N.H. (AP) - The health system that includes Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital is pursuing an affiliation agreement with Dartmouth-Hitchcock.

Officials with the two health systems, both in Lebanon, announced their plans Friday. If the affiliation is approved by the governing boards of each organization and the state, a formal agreement would be signed by 2015.

Alice Peck Day Health Systems says an affiliation will help it expand access to care, decrease costs and improve quality because it will be able to coordinate care across the network. Under any agreement, the system would maintain its corporate identity and local governance.