Cancer Treatment Center To Pay $100M Antitrust Penalty

Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute LLC, an oncology group headquartered in Fort Myers, has agreed to pay a $100 million criminal penalty to settle antitrust charges, the Department of Justice said Thursday.

FCS participated in a criminal antitrust conspiracy with a competing oncology group, according to a DOJ statement. The conspirators agreed not to compete to provide chemotherapy and radiation treatments to cancer patients in southwest Florida.

“This conspiracy allowed FCS to operate with minimal competition in Southwest Florida and limited valuable integrated care options and choices for cancer patients,” DOJ said.

The Antitrust Division also announced a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) resolving the charge against FCS, under which the company admitted to conspiring to allocate chemotherapy and radiation treatments for cancer patients. FCS has agreed to pay a $100 million criminal penalty —the statutory maximum— and to cooperate fully with the Antitrust Division’s ongoing investigation. FCS has also agreed to maintain an effective compliance program designed to prevent and detect criminal antitrust violations.

“Today’s resolution, with one of the largest independent oncology groups in the United States, is a significant step toward ensuring that cancer patients in Southwest Florida are afforded the benefits of competition for life-saving treatments,” said Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. “For almost two decades, FCS and its co-conspirators agreed to cheat by limiting treatment options available to cancer patients in order to line their pockets. The Antitrust Division is continuing its investigation to ensure that all responsible participants are held accountable to the maximum extent possible.”

Full Content: DOJ

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