On March 11, 2019, the Director of the Federal Trade Commission’s (“FTC’s”) Bureau of Competition and the Assistant Director of the Bureau’s Compliance Division coauthored a blog post to announce the revision of “standard...more
Parties involved in health care transactions subject to the reporting requirements of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act (“HSR” or “Act”) frequently ask whether submission of the HSR Notification and Report...more
2/28/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Confidential Information ,
Contractual Safeguards ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FOIA ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Information Sharing ,
Mergers ,
Public Disclosure ,
Sensitive Business Information
The Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act (“HSR”) (section 7A of the Clayton Act, 15 U.S.C. §18a) requires parties to a transaction meeting certain size thresholds to complete and file a Notification and Report Form...more
The Statements of Antitrust Enforcement Policy in Health Care (“Policy Statements”), issued jointly by the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission, provide, at Statement 3, guidelines for evaluating whether a joint...more
Given the importance of population health management, providers (whether as part of a value-based arrangement or otherwise) share clinical information to help develop best practices and quality initiatives. Current guidance...more
Section 13(b) of the Federal Trade Commission Act (“Act”), 15 U.S.C. § 53(b), authorizes the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) to, among other things, seek injunctive relief (including preliminary and permanent injunctive...more
On October 3, 2018, at a hearing before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights (“Hearing”), Makan Delrahim, the Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division of the...more
Although transactions involving not-for-profit entities can trigger premerger filing requirements under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act (“HSR”), a transaction that results in the formation of a not-for-profit...more
Under the Trump administration, the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) (and, to some extent, the Federal Trade Commission) has emphasized its role as an antitrust “enforcer” and not a “regulator.”...more
The Horizontal Merger Guidelines (“Guidelines”), issued jointly by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission (collectively, “Agencies”), at section 10, states that “the Agencies will not challenge a...more
The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) announced that on September 21, 2018, it would host a second session in its 21st Century Hearings series. The FTC’s goal for this series is to review changes in technology, various...more
As noted last week, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) may challenge conduct when it has “reason to believe” that a violation of the laws that the FTC enforces has occurred. When challenging mergers, the FTC files an...more
The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) may challenge conduct when it has “reason to believe” that a violation of the laws that the FTC enforces has occurred. The agency does so by filing an administrative complaint, which is...more
The Non-Profit Institutions Act provides an exemption from the Robinson-Patman Antidiscrimination Act by permitting the sale of discounted drugs to “schools, colleges, universities, public libraries, churches, hospitals, and...more
8/9/2018
/ Churches ,
Educational Institutions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Hospitals ,
Libraries ,
Non-Profit Hospitals ,
Nonprofits ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Price Discrimination ,
Robinson-Patman Act
Section 8 of the 2010 Horizontal Merger Guidelines (issued jointly by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission) states that “the Agencies consider the possibility that powerful buyers may constrain the...more
Recent decisions outside of the health care industry—including the defeated efforts (at least at the district court level) to block the merger of AT&T and Time Warner and the recent decision from the Second Circuit upholding...more
Collaborations among competitors or potential competitors can take many forms, the most common being a joint venture. The Antitrust Guidelines for Collaboration Among Competitors, issued jointly by the Federal Trade...more
Often, health care providers want to take advantage of state “provider cooperation” laws—those laws that sanction (and provide “state action immunity” for) conduct that would otherwise raise antitrust concerns. Late last...more
According to the “Statement of Antitrust Enforcement Policy Regarding Accountable Care Organizations Participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program” (“Policy Statement”), issued by the Federal Trade Commission and the...more
Last week, Barry Nigro, the Deputy Assistant Attorney General (“DAAG”) of the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”), delivered a keynote address at the 2018 Antitrust in Healthcare Conference, co-sponsored by the American Bar...more
The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC” or “Commission”) and the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) share responsibility for merger enforcement under section 7 of the Clayton Act. However, differences in the...more
The Federal Trade Commission and the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (collectively, the “Federal Antitrust Enforcement Agencies”) have made a concerted effort of late to describe themselves as “antitrust...more
On April 11, 2018, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) and the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) released their 40th Annual Hart-Scott-Rodino Report (“HSR Report”) detailing merger enforcement activity in fiscal year 2017...more
Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, 15 U.S.C. § 45(a)(1), provides the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) with broad authority to address “unfair methods of competition.” Although Congress chose not to define the...more
In October 2016, the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and the Federal Trade Commission jointly issued their Antitrust Guidance for Human Resource Professionals (“Guidance”). As stated in its...more
3/15/2018
/ Antitrust Violations ,
Criminal Liability ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
New Guidance ,
No-Poaching ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Non-Solicitation Agreements ,
Wage-Fixing