The decision grants the Hospital Authority immunity from attempts by the Federal Trade Commission to block the transaction, which parent companies Phoebe Putney Health System and Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA have been negotiating since last summer.
The FTC contended that the authority approved the $195 million deal without considering possible antitrust issues, particularly that the acquisition could give Phoebe a monopoly and increase prices. The FTC and Georgia’s Attorney General’s office were suing to block the merger until Sept., when the case would be reviewed by an administrative law judge.
Read the Albany Herald report on Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital.
Related Articles on Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital and Palmyra Medical Center:
Georgia District Court Hear Arguments Regarding Injunction Filed Against Phoebe Putney, Others
FTC Alleges Phoebe Putney’s Proposed Acquisition of Palmyra Park Hospital is Anticompetitive
Georgia’s Phoebe Putney, Palmyra Medical Center Receive FTC Subpoenas for Information Surrounding Sale
