Antitrust lessons for healthcare roll-ups – and everyone else

Antitrust lessons for healthcare roll-ups – and everyone else 
Competition Policy International - CPI Columns US & Canada; by Lauren F. Dayton & Swara Saraiya; 9/12/24 
... The practice described in the U.S. Anesthesia Partners suit, known as a “roll-up,” is a common strategy employed by private equity firms through which smaller businesses in adjacent markets are acquired and consolidated. Large healthcare networks acquire smaller practices for similar reasons. That consolidation enables companies to build a greater presence, operate more efficiently, and can allow them to attract better talent. But that same consolidation can also create the risk of anticompetitive effects. The FTC’s suit is noteworthy because federal competition regulators have historically focused on the companies themselves, not their financial sponsors. The case is in step with statements by competition regulators about increased scrutiny of the healthcare industry, and of acquisitions by private equity firms, in particular. ...