In a widely watched appeal of a hospital antitrust case, Evanston Northwestern Healthcare told the Federal Trade Commission that breaking up its 2000 merger with Highland Park Hospital would damage the suburban community’s patient care, reports the Chicago Tribune. Evanston Northwestern said that in six years it has spent $160 million at Highland Park Hospital, creating new heart and cancer programs and improving quality. But although at least one of the five commissioners who heard the appeal called divestiture “a drastic measure,” the FTC attorney maintained that Evanston Northwestern raised Highland Park’s prices after the merger, which resulted in higher insurance premiums and could lead to more uninsured patients.
In a statement, Evanston Health System said, "Today’s oral arguments are yet another step in the process for Evanston Northwestern Healthcare’s appeal of the Federal Trade Commission ruling citing ill effects on select managed care companies as a result of ENH’s merger with Highland Park Hospital. No decisions by the FTC are expected from the presentation of these arguments for some time. What’s important to understand is that we remain confident that the evidence we presented--namely that we have improved the quality of care at Highland Park Hospital, our prices never increased beyond market rates, and competition remains healthy in our service area--will ultimately prevail."
