FTC Investigations Could Bring Unwanted Scrutiny to Hospitals

An article in Relias Media’s Healthcare Risk Management newsletter, “FTC Investigations Could Bring Unwanted Scrutiny to Hospitals,” discussed potential investigations of hospitals’ anti-competitive behavior by the Federal Trade Commission.  Rivkin Radler’s Robert H. Iseman was featured prominently in the article.

Bob noted that hospitals and health systems that are considered “must-have” participants in health insurance plans face a heightened risk of antitrust enforcement. “Must-have” status generally indicates that the health system possesses “market power” in its geographic area. Bob also discussed the recent regulatory focus on anti-steering provisions, which may prevent payers from directing patients to different plans or lower-cost providers.