The Federal Trade Commission (FTC or Commission) authorized action on November 6 to block the proposed merger of two hospitals located in Huntington, West Virginia. The FTC issued an administrative complaint alleging that the transaction would create a near monopoly for general acute care inpatient hospital …
Insurer Escapes Antitrust Suit, But Hospital Must Continue the Fight
June 2, 2015 Leave a Comment
A large regional health insurer extricated itself from an antitrust suit, leaving the dominant local hospital to square off alone versus an ambulatory surgical center (ASC). The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois dismissed exclusive dealing allegations against BlueCross and BlueShield of …
Charity Hospital’s Antitrust Case Uncharitably Dismissed
March 26, 2015 Leave a Comment
The United States District Court for the District of New Jersey dismissed antitrust claims by a charity hospital that alleged two medical centers colluded to squeeze the hospital out of the market for cardiac services. Deborah Heart and Lung Center, a charity hospital located in Browns Mills, New Jersey, asserted …
Ministry Motivation Costs Hospital $59 Million
February 3, 2015 Leave a Comment
Sometimes doing the right thing for the right reason can be costly. Last week it cost nonprofit Via Christi Regional Medical Center $59 million. In 1995 two Wichita hospitals, St. Francis and St. Joseph, consolidated to create Via Christi. For the two decades since then, Via Christi—as successor of St. …
QNHII Regs Due Thursday—After Only Five Years
January 28, 2015 Leave a Comment
When the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law back in 2010, it directed the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to establish the Consumer Operated & Oriented Program (CO-OP). The point of the CO-OP is to foster creation of membership-governed QNHIIs. What’s a QNHII? you’re …
Hospital For-Profit Conversion Hits Bicoastal Speed Bumps
December 22, 2014 Leave a Comment
Over the past decade or so, the conversion of nonprofit hospitals to for-profit status seemed to be an inexorable trend. But in the last couple of weeks the movement has run into speed bumps on both coasts. On the East Coast Tenet Healthcare announced its decision to abandon transactions that would have …