The insurers — Aetna, Anthem, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, Cigna and United Healthcare — were asked to provide claims data.
The health systems, Johnson City, Tenn.-based Ballad Health and Cabell Huntington (W.Va.) Hospital, were asked to provide patient billing, discharge and salary data.
The FTC intends to use the data to study government-sanctioned hospital mergers, called “certificates of public advantage.”
Certificates of public advantage are regulatory policies that some states use as a workaround to approve mergers while avoiding federal antitrust scrutiny.
Certificates of public advantage were recently approved for Ballad Health and Cabell Huntington Hospital.
More articles on healthcare industry transactions:
Ascension to sell 2 Wisconsin hospitals
Meet M Health Fairview, a new brand linking 13 hospitals in Minnesota
CHS’ shrinking hospital portfolio: 12 latest divestitures
