Summary
The FTC/DOJ Health Care Hearings will cover a wide range of
subjects relating to health care and competition law and policy. Each set of hearings will
address a discrete topic or group of topics. The goals of the hearings include information
gathering, consensus building, dialogue, and policy R&D. The hearings will culminate
with the preparation of a report. Specific topics and scheduling are subject to change.
| February |
Overview of Issues Arising at the Intersection of Health Care and
Competition Law. Perspectives on Competition Policy and the Health Care Marketplace. A
Tale of Two Cities: Boston and Little Rock. |
| March/April |
Defining Product and Geographic Markets for Hospitals. Single Specialty
Hospitals. Contracting Practices. Issues in Litigating Hospital Mergers. Hospitals -
Horizontal Networks and Vertical Arrangements; Non-profit Status; Joint Ventures and Joint
Operating Agreements; Post-Merger Conduct. |
| April/May |
Health Insurance Monopoly Issues - Market Definition; Competitive Effects;
Entry and Efficiencies. Health Insurance Monopsony Issues - Market Definition; Competitive
Effects. Health Insurance/Providers - Countervailing Market Power. Most Favored Nation
Clauses. Physician Hospital Organizations. |
| May/June |
Quality and Consumer Information: Overview; Hospitals; Physicians.
Quality and Consumer Protection: Market Entry. Noerr Pennington/State Action. Long
Term Care/Assisted Living Facilities. Financing Design/Consumer Information Issues.
Information and Advertising. Dietary Supplements. Mandated Benefits. Pharmaceuticals:
Formulary Issues. Prospective Guidance. |
| September |
Physician Product and Geographic Market Definition. Physician IPAs -
Patterns and Benefits of Integration; Messenger Model. Physician Unionization/Collective
Bargaining. Physician Information Sharing. Quality and Non-price Competition: Providers;
Payors. Privacy Issues. Remedies: Civil; Criminal. Medicare and Medicaid. International
Perspectives on Health Care and Competition Law and Policy. |
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