6 events in Passaic County with a date

Englewood hospital, RWJBarnabas plan merger

By: Scott Fallon
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey

..... More than five years after federal regulators blocked a merger with Hackensack Meridian Health, it appears Englewood hospital has found another partner.
..... Englewood Health has singed an agreement to become part of RWJBarnabas Health - giving one of the state's largest medical networks a strong foothold in the completive North Jersey market, executives announced on January 5. [2026]
..... The deal still requires approval from stat and federal regulators - a process that could take a year to complete.
..... Englewood has been one of the few remaining independent hospitals in New Jersey during recent decades, which saw a succession of mergers and growth of tow mammoth health care entities in RWJBarnabas and Hackensack Meridian.
..... RWJBarnabas plans to invest $500 million in Englewood, converting the hospital to all private rooms and expansing the capacity in operating rooms, as well as in the neonatal intensive care unit and ambulatory sites away from the main campus, said Mark Manigan, president of RWJBarnabas.
..... No staff layoffs or changes in management are planned, he said in an interview.
..... Along with its 294-bed hospital, Englewood has a network of more than 800 office-based and hospital-based providers, which made the deal particularly attractive, Manigna said.
..... Englewood had about $1.3 billion in revenue in 2025, up from $295 million in 2009, said Warren Geller, CEO of the network.
..... "This thing is not broken," Manigan said. "It's very high performing. We want Englewood to grow. We believed in their strategy. It's very similar to ours."
..... Geller said he and Manignbegan talking about a merger two years ago. He said the hospital was financially stable, coming off its best year ever in terms of the bottom line and patient satisfaction ratings.
..... "We don't need it - we want it," Geller said of the merger. "We want to take what we're doing and accelerate it."
..... RWJBanabas operates 14 hospitals, with the majority in Central Jersey but with a few in Essex and Hudson counties including Clare Maass Medical Center in Belleville, Jersey City Medical Center and Beth Israel in Newark.
..... RWBarnabas executives said Englewood would focus on serving the Bergen, Passaic and Hudson county markets. It is another growth spurt for the hospital system, which opened up New Jersey's only free-standing cancer hospital last year [2025] in New Brunswick.
..... If the acquisition is approved, it would leave North Jersey with only three major independent hospitals: Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, St. Joseph's University Medical Center in Paterson and Valley Hospital in Paramus.
..... Some experts have found that hospital mergers nationwide led to an increase in prices and decrease in patient satisfaction, as competition is reduced and health systems gain leverage with insures. The American Hospital Association has disputed that, saying consolidation has reduced the cost of care and improved quality.
..... The merger gives RWJBarnabas a major presence just a few miles from four major hospitals - including its chief rival's flagship, Hackensack University Medical Center. "That's one of the things that drew us to Englewood - their ability to compete in a very competitive market," Manigan said.

Hackensack Meridian tired in 2019

..... Many of the same points and accolades were made in 2019 by Hackensack Meridian executives when they attempted to acquire Englewood.
..... But the Federal Trade Commission blocked the deal, saying it would monopolize the health care market in Bergen County.
..... The decision was upheld by a federal appellate court, which said the proposed merger would likely raise prices for health care consumers, lower hospital competition and reduce pressure to improve the quality of care.
..... As for dealing with the Federal trade Commission, Manigan said he expects the RWJBaranbas-Englewood deal to be approved because there is no overlap in the patient base covered by Englewood and RWJBarnabas.
..... "We're not substantially in their market, they're not substantially in our market," he said. "There is plenty of competition in their market, whether tis in-state or across the river in New York."

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