Welcome to NHHA
The New Hampshire Hospital Association (NHHA) is dedicated to providing leadership through advocacy, education, and information to support our hospital members and health care systems.
NHHA works diligently to help its members adapt to the immense challenges and shifts taking place in the health care industry as they strive to improve the health of the patients and communities they serve.
A Message From Our President
Every day in New Hampshire, hospitals face a challenge that is largely invisible to the public but deeply impacts patients, families and the entire health care system. Our newly released Barriers to Discharge: 2026 Snapshot Report highlights a troubling reality: patients who are medically ready to leave the hospital often cannot do so because the services, supports, housing or post-acute care they need are unavailable.
On a single day during the week of August 31, 2026, New Hampshire hospitals reported 120 patients who remained hospitalized after being medically cleared for discharge, accounting for more than 7,750 unnecessary hospital days. At the same time, an average of 63 patients were waiting in emergency departments for an inpatient bed.
These delays are not simply hospital challenges. They reflect broader system gaps, including shortages of long-term care placements, lengthy Medicaid determinations, limited dementia and specialized services, housing barriers and a lack of community-based supports. Most importantly, they affect real people whose recovery and quality of life depend on timely access to the right care in the right setting at the right time.
The report also underscores the significant financial impact, estimating more than $26 million in non-reimbursable hospital costs associated with these unnecessary stays. Resources that could be directed toward patient care are instead tied up in a system struggling to move patients to the next level of care.
Addressing discharge barriers will require collaboration across the entire continuum of care. Hospitals, long-term care providers, community organizations, insurers and policymakers must work together to create sustainable solutions. The New Hampshire Hospital Association remains committed to advancing those conversations and advocating for reforms that ensure every patient can receive timely, appropriate care while preserving access to hospital services for all Granite Staters.
Be healthy, stay well!
Steve Ahnen
President
Endorsed Business Partner Spotlight of the Month
AblePay is changing the financial landscape for hospitals and their patients — for the better! It’s no secret that hospitals and health systems across the state continue to face increasing pressure from rising patient financial responsibility, growing bad debt, collection challenges, and consumer expectations for a better experience. Patients want transparency, affordability, and flexibility when paying for care, while hospitals need solutions that improve the patient experience without adding operational burden.
AblePay is a patient affordability and engagement program that helps hospitals reduce financial barriers to care while improving payment outcomes.
Through the AblePay program, patients receive savings on their out-of-pocket medical expenses simply by paying their bills through an enrolled payment method. The result is a win-win: patients save money, and hospitals benefit from increased patient engagement and improved payment performance.
ablepayhealth.com
Our Impact:
80,875 Jobs
As employers, New Hampshire hospitals and health systems create thousands of jobs both internally and in the broader community through the support of other businesses.
Read more about the impact of NH hospitals and health systems on the state economy.
Area of Focus
Advocacy
We work collaboratively with our members, state and federal officials and other stakeholders to develop and influence public policy, and ensure the legal and regulatory framework change is conducive to support effective health care policy and services.
Advocacy Agenda Health Care Issues & Topics
Massive amounts of information, rules, and regulations impact how New Hampshire hospitals and health systems do business and take care of patients. We compile and share information for members on critical issues, trends, and best practices.
Access to Care
Quality & Patient Safety
New Hampshire hospitals work every day to provide safe and better care to the patients they treat. We support our members to prevent and reduce risks, errors, and harm that occur to patients during provision of health care and believe that patient safety is fundamental to delivering quality essential health services.
Resources & Reports
NHHA provides easy to use, reliable information that can be trusted to provide a clear context for hospital issues. This is beneficial to members, policymakers, and the public to showcase the value of New Hampshire hospitals and health systems to patients, communities and the state.
Latest News and Events
