Competing Diagnoses | Episode 3 | July 30, 2021: What Will Washington Do?

Welcome back to Competing Diagnoses! This week, we'll explore the larger regulatory context of the proposed merger between the state's two largest hospital systems - Lifespan and Care New England. Recent actions by the Biden administration and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) suggest that a new academic health system here in Rhode Island will face significant regulatory obstacles. Federal officials are increasingly skeptical of proposals that would reduce competition in local health care markets. Less competition, the FTC argues, is likely to raise prices and lower incentives to improve the quality of care. We'll look at recent cases in New Jersey and Tennessee to gather lessons for Rhode Island and also examine the impact of President Biden's executive order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy on the prospects for winning federal approval of the proposed transaction.

Thanks for listening!

The Competing Diagnoses team: Robert Hackey, PhD

The theme song for our podcast - 'Waves' - is an original composition by Craig Scheuring.