‘Business as Usual’ in FTC Hospital Deal Enforcement, Former Official Says
By: Rich Daily with contributions from Eb LeMaster
(HFMA online)
THE FORMER FTC EXECUTIVE OUTLINED THE FACTORS THE AGENCY IS USING THESE DAYS TO WEIGH WHETHER TO TAKE ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS AGAINST A PENDING HOSPITAL DEAL.
Feb. 26—Despite an expected continuation of record hospital merger-and-acquisition deal volume, and warnings from the Trump administration, a former law enforcement leader said antitrust enforcement is not expected to change in 2018.
Deborah Feinstein, director of the Bureau of Competition for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 2013-17, said the rate of hospital deals is not always clear, but the heavy volume seems to be continuing. So, FTC enforcement against deals that appear to violate federal antitrust rules will continue.
“For the FTC it will be business as usual; this is a very bipartisan issue,” Feinstein said at a recent media briefing. “I see no change in how the FTC enforces the antitrust laws under the Trump administration; it is a very case-by-case approach.”