Since the year 2009, the number of oncology practices linked with hospitals has doubled. And a latest report says that has driven costs up by 30% in places where there have been such tie-ups.
“This kind of consolidation increases spending,” claimed the University of Chicago’s Rena Conti, the author of the new report. “We don’t know whether this increased spending is actually going to translate into better quality or better access for cancer sufferers.”
For years, hospitals have discussed these deals could make better coordination, mitigate duplication and eradicate waste, lowering spending overall.
But this paper adds to a increasing body of literature that healthcare mergers are a critical concern.
Wharton’s Robert Town predicts if this keeps up, regulators such as the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice will crack down.
“You are going to observe a meaningful affect on anti-trust policy,” Town claimed. “The FTC and DOJ are going to be less favorably disposed to these kinds of mergers.”
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