U.S. Supreme Court: Hospital Merger Is Not Immune From Antitrust Scrutiny

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Supreme Court on Feb. 19 ruled that the state-action doctrine does not immunize the merger between two Georgia hospitals from the Federal Trade Commission's challenge that the transaction substantially lessened competition in the market for hospital services or tended to create a monopoly because Georgia did not clearly articulate and affirmatively express a policy allowing hospital authorities to make acquisitions that substantially lessen competition (Federal Trade Commission v. Phoebe Putney Health System, Inc., et al., No. 11-1160, U.S. Sup.; See 12/5/12, Page 24).Full story on lexis.com