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Evanston Northwestern Healthcare Corporation and ENH Medical Group, Inc.

On February 10, 2004 the Commission issued an administrative complaint alleging that following Evanston Northwestern Healthcare Corporation's acquisition of Highland Park Hospital prices charged to health insurers for medical services increased and, therefore, higher costs for health insurance were passed on to consumers of hospital services in the Cook and Lake counties of Illinois. The complaint also alleged that a physicians group affiliated with both hospitals, Highland Park Independent Physician Group, negotiated prices for physicians on staff at Evanston as well as for several hundred independent physicians not affiliated with either hospital. According to the complaint, these actions constitute illegal price fixing among competing physicians or physician groups and deny consumers the benefits of competition in physician services. In an initial Decision, the Administrative law judge found that the acquisition resulted in higher prices and substantially lessened competition for acute care inpatient services in parts of Chicago’s northwestern suburbs.  The ALJ entered an order that would require the divestiture of the acquired hospital.   On appeal, the Commission ruled that the acquisition was anticompetitive, but concluded that in this “highly unusual case,” divestiture, the remedy imposed by the administrative law judge, would be too costly and potentially risky and instead imposed a conduct remedy. The Commission’s order requires Evanston to set up two separate and independent contract negotiation teams to bargain with managed care organizations to revive competition between Evanston’s two hospitals and the Highland Park hospital.

Type of Action
Administrative
Last Updated
FTC Matter/File Number
0110234
Docket Number
9315

American Renal Associates, Inc., a corporation, and Fresenius Medical Care Holdings, Inc., a corporation

The Commission settled charges stemming from American Renal Associates’ (ARA) proposed acquisition of assets from Fresenius AG, which would have made ARA the only operator of dialysis clinics in the Warwick/Cranston area of Rhode Island. The purchase agreement called for the sale of five Fresenius clinics to ARA, including two in the Warwick/Cranston area, and the closure of an additional three Fresenius clinics in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The parties terminated their purchase agreement after FTC staff raised antitrust concerns, but the Commission challenged the closure of the three clinics as a naked agreement to pay a competitor to exit the market, and also alleged a Section 7 violation in the Warwick/ Cranston market for dialysis services. The Commission’s order bars the parties from entering into any agreement to close dialysis clinics, and requires ARA to notify the Commission if it intends to acquire any dialysis centers in the Warwick/Cranston area for a period of 10 years.
Type of Action
Administrative
Last Updated
FTC Matter/File Number
0510234

Fresenius AG, In the Matter of

Fresenius AG settled charges that its purchase of rival dialysis provider Renal Care Group, Inc. would likely have resulted in higher prices for dialysis services. The consent order requires that Fresenius AG will sell 91 outpatient kidney dialysis clinics and financial interests in 12 more.

Type of Action
Administrative
Last Updated
FTC Matter/File Number
051 0154
Docket Number
C-4159

DaVita, Inc.

The consent order resolves the competitive issues raised by DaVita’s proposed $3.1 billion purchase of rival outpatient dialysis clinic operator Gambro Healthcare Inc. from Gambro AB. Pursuant to the order, DaVita sold 69 dialysis clinics and end two management services contracts in 35 markets across the United States within 10 days of consummating its purchase of Gambro. The Commission has approved Renal Advantage Inc. as the buyer of most of the clinics to be divested, and entered into an order to maintain assets with DaVita.
Type of Action
Administrative
Last Updated
FTC Matter/File Number
0510051
Docket Number
C-4152

Announced Action for November 18, 2005

Date
Commission approval of final consent order: Following a public comment period, the Commission has approved the issuance of a final consent order in the matter concerning DaVita, Inc. and Gambro AB...

Quest Diagnostics Inc.orporated and Unilab Corporation

Quest Diagnostics settled FTC charges that its proposed acquisition of Unilab Corporation would substantially increase concentration in the clinical laboratory testing services market by agreeing to divest clinical laboratory testing assets in Northern California to Laboratory Corporation of America.

Type of Action
Administrative
Last Updated
FTC Matter/File Number
0210140
Docket Number
C-4074