Regulators Tamp Down on Mergers of Hospitals

The New York Times: In the latest sign that federal regulators are uneasy about the flurry of proposed health care mergers taking place, the Federal Trade Commission said on Friday that it planned to block the combination of two large Illinois hospital groups.

Regulators said the proposed merger of Advocate Health Care, which is already the state’s largest health system, and NorthShore University HealthSystem, could create a 16-hospital powerhouse that would dominate the North Shore area of Chicago.

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