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Judge's opinion in Advocate, NorthShore merger released: 6 things to know

U.S. District Court Judge Jorge Alonso cited price concerns as his primary reason for rejecting the proposed merger between Downers Grove, Ill.-based Advocate Health Care and Evanston, Ill.-based NorthShore University HealthSystem in his opinion released Thursday, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Judge Alonso granted the Federal Trade Commission and the state of Illinois' request for a preliminary injunction to halt the health systems' proposed merger last week. His opinion, filed under seal to allow both parties to redact sensitive information, was released Thursday.

Here are six takeaways from Judge Alonso's opinion.

1. In his opinion, Judge Alonso wrote the FTC's economist was able to "persuasively [demonstrate] that the merger [would] likely…cause a significant price increase resulting in a loss to consumers," according to the report.

2. He noted neither health system could effectively prove the potential benefits of their merger would outweigh the harm to competition the FTC and the state of Illinois proposed it would cause.

3. Judge Alonso reportedly granted the injunction because "the FTC and the state of Illinois showed that they would likely win the overall case," according to the Chicago Tribune.

4. Judge Alonso previously sided with the health systems the first time the issue was brought to his attention. In an order issued June 14, 2016, Judge Alonso denied the FTC's request to block the proposed merger. The FTC successfully appealed that decision with the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the case was sent back to Judge Alonso to reconsider.

5. In his opinion filed Thursday, Judge Alonso sided with the appellate court's rationale, stating the FTC correctly defined the hospitals' geographic markets and that the agency's argument that a potential merger would lead to an 8 percent, or $45 million, price increase for consumers was sound, according to the report.

6. In a statement to the Chicago Tribune, Advocate Health Care officials said: "We move forward committed to the same core values that drove our decision to pursue the merger — improve quality, advance care delivery and lower costs."

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