US: Antitrust agreement in West Virginia hospital takeover

St. Mary’s Medical Center in Huntington would operate as a stand-alone facility after its takeover by Cabell Huntington Hospital under an antitrust agreement announced Friday by West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey.

Morrisey said the agreement filed Friday in Cabell County Circuit Court sets conditions to ensure the acquisition complies with state and federal law. The acquisition is still under review by the Federal Trade Commission.

In November, Cabell Huntington Hospital Inc. agreed to assume control of St. Mary’s after the Pallottine Missionary Sisters ended their sponsorship of the hospital after 90 years.

St. Mary’s has 393 beds and Cabell Huntington has 303 beds. They are the top two private employers in Cabell County. The combined operation would represent the second-largest hospital chain in the state behind Charleston Area Medical Center.

“Unfortunately, with the recent increased federal regulation in the health care industry, the trend of hospital consolidation will likely increase over the coming years as hospitals struggle to deal with the increased costs of regulation,” Morrisey said. “However, I believe given the conditions negotiated in our agreement, the best interests of our citizens will be protected.”

Full content: The Herald-Dispatch

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