Fifth Session of FTC/DOJ Health Care and Competition Law and Policy Hearings to Be Held May 7-8

The fifth session of the Federal Trade Commission/Department of Justice joint hearings on health care and competition law and policy will be held on Wednesday, May 7, from 9:15 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and on Thursday, May 8, from 9:15 a.m. until approximately 12:15 p.m. in the FTC Conference Center at 601 New Jersey Avenue, Washington, DC 20580. The agenda for the session is available at http://www.ftc.gov/ogc/healthcarehearings/ and at http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/hchearing.htm.

Persons unable to attend this session of hearings may call in as follows:

On Wednesday, May 7, the morning session will address potential effects on the health care market if providers are permitted to acquire countervailing market power in an effort to minimize the monopsony power currently wielded by health plans. The afternoon session will explore the pro-competitive justifications and competitive concerns associated with "Most Favored Nation" clauses frequently found in contracts between health insurers and hospitals or physicians.

On Thursday, May 8, a panel will examine Physician Hospital Organizations (PHOs), the anti-competitive risks they can create, and the factors that have led the FTC and the DOJ to take enforcement action against PHOs in response to specific anticompetitive conduct.