Dive Brief:
- The Federal Trade Commission and the US Department of Justice are denying allegations made by several major hospital groups that their recent workshop, Examining Healthcare Competition, was biased against hospitals.
- The accusations came in the form of a letter that was signed by The American Hospital Association, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the Catholic Health Association of the United States, the Children's Hospital Association and the Federation of American Hospitals.
- Experts say the dispute reflects tensions between the government and hospitals over healthcare reform.
Dive Insight:
The letter from the hospital groups said that "The Workshop's apparent lack of objectivity and balance deprived policymakers of the opportunity to better understand the strides the hospital field is making in transforming the delivery of healthcare in response to many market factors and how various types of transactions are essential to achieve that goal."
Federal officials wrote their own letter, defending the workshop. "Achieving balance and diversity of viewpoints was and remains a high priority for the workshop planning team, comprised of staff from both the FTC and Antitrust Division," the letter said. "The February workshop was but one step in engaging stakeholders in an ongoing discussion of competition in the healthcare industry."