Federal Trade Commission v. Tenet: a retrospective review and analysis

Primarily through a series of interviews with a variety of interested persons, the author analyzes the controversial merger of two hospitals in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, in late 1999. A district court had stopped the merger in 1998; however, the Eighth Circuit overturned the decision the following year, therefore permitting the parties to execute the merger. The Article highlights the effects of, and the market's response to, the merger. Results reveal that in the two years following the merger, none of the parties interviewed believe the merger was favorable. Similarly, parties perceive that the price of care has increased, while the quality of care has not improved. Nonetheless, at the two-year mark, it remains too soon to determine whether the government's concerns in opposing the merger have been justified.