Case Description
As part of a negotiated settlement, the State of Florida and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sought to enjoin the merger of defendant hospital facilities, alleging that such acquisitions would result in a substantial reduction of competition in the marketplace for medical care. In order to consummate the mergers, the defendant companies agreed to divest certain assets and were enjoined from attempting to re-acquire the divested assets for at least five years. As a result, Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corporation purchased Healthtrust, Inc., Halifax Hospital Medical Center acquired Columbia Medical Center-Daytona, and Memorial Health Systems, Inc. acquired Columbia Medical Center-Peninsula. In addition, Columbia/HCA and its subsidiaries, Broward Healthcare Systems, Inc, Palm Beach Healthcare Systems, Inc., and Southwest Florida Health System, Inc., agreed to waive and deem unenforceable its non-competition provisions.
