Saint Francis Hospital And Medical Center v. Hartford Healthcare Corporation et al.

Why this Matters
The plaintiff, a Connecticut hospital, argues that certain anticompetitive physician practice acquisitions and associated practices by one of two major health systems in Connecticut violate federal and state antitrust laws. Dominant hospitals can seek to entrench their physician specialty market share—which increases health care prices and ultimately health care premiums— by aggressively acquiring physician practices, using threats to demand doctors only make referrals to a particular hospital, using financial penalties to ensure physicians exclusively practice with a particular hospital, and preventing health insurers from designing networks that would permit patients to utilize lower cost providers.

Potential Impact
Anticompetitive practices by dominant hospitals regarding physician specialty practice acquisitions and related policies to enhance hospital bargaining power can further drive up health care prices.