SEVEN BACKUS OUTPATIENT LABS TO BE SOLD TO QUEST DIAGNOSTICS

Norwich — Seven outpatient laboratories that are affiliated with The William W. Backus Hospital would be sold to Quest Diagnostics under a proposed deal between Hartford HealthCare, the parent of the network for Backus, and the New Jersey-based diagnostic services firm.

Shawn Mawhiney, spokesman for Hartford HealthCare, said terms of the proposed sale are not being disclosed. Hartford HealthCare has signed a letter of intent to sell the seven labs that are part of the Backus network and another group that is part of The Hospital of Central Connecticut, located in New Britain and Southington.

“We are in early stages of this transaction,” Mawhiney said Wednesday. “If we and Quest complete this transaction, and pending regulatory approvals, we expect it to conclude during the last few months of 2017.”

Employees who might be affected by the sale were informed on Friday, he said. If the sale is approved by state regulators, Hartford HealthCare will work with Quest “to explore opportunities to help qualified candidates apply for available positions,” he said.

The state Office of Healthcare Access would have to give approval for the sale to go forward. In a legal notice in The Day on Saturday, Backus said it intends to file an application for the transfer with OHCA.

Four of the seven labs are located in Norwich. The other three are in Plainfield, Colchester and Uncasville.

Quest Diagnostics is the world’s largest provider of diagnostic information services, with revenues in 2016 reported at $7.5 billion. It has 2,200 patient services centers worldwide.