The article provides an overview of economic approaches used to evaluate the competitive effects of mergers and acquisitions involving physician groups. In recent years, there has been an increase both in the size of physician group practices and in the number of physician groups affiliating with larger health systems and hospital networks. In turn, physician-group transactions have attracted heightened attention from antitrust enforcers as well as scholars. The authors summarize analytical approaches used to evaluate horizontal physician group mergers and then discuss an analytical framework of vertical physician group mergers. The article also includes a brief overview of emerging issues to consider when analyzing the competitive implications of physician group transactions.

The full article can be found below.

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The post Brattle Economists Discuss the Economic Analysis and Competitive Effects of Physician Group Mergers and Acquisitions in an AHLA Article appeared first on Brattle.

The study focuses on consumers’ choices made under Medicare Part D. Although optimal healthcare plans change over time, many consumers choose to remain with the same plan. The authors, who develop a panel data model, separate two sources of inertia – inattention to plan choice and switching costs – and find that inattention is an important source of inertia, but switching costs also play a role, particularly for low-acuity individuals.

The full article, “Inattention and Switching Costs as Sources of Inertia in Medicare Part D,” is available below.

The post Prof. Daniel McFadden Coauthors Article on Consumer Health Plan Choices in <i>American Economic Review</i> appeared first on Brattle.

There are four economic concepts that were evident in St. Luke’s Hospital v. ProMedica Health System Inc. that may apply more broadly to other cases:

1. In order to leverage market power in one market to gain or maintain power in another, the accused firm must have market power in the market from which the alleged ability to leverage derives.
2. For a vertically integrated company, the alleged conduct likely affects multiple business segments, and therefore all segments must be assessed.
3. An evolving competitive environment in a dynamic industry such as healthcare may affect the incentives of market participants and the bargaining processes.
4. The economic incentives that govern a firm’s management of contractual relationships with its business partners include procompetitive protections of investments.

The full article can be found below.

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The post Considerations in Antitrust Assessments of Healthcare Provider and Insurance Carrier Conduct: Dr. Loren Smith and Dr. Josephine Duh Discuss in a Recent <i>Law360</i> Article appeared first on Brattle.

“It was a pleasure to work with Brattle on this complex litigation,” remarked Dr. Pakes. “Our damages modelling was at the research frontier and Brattle’s consulting work was fundamental to my testimony and the positive outcome for our client.”

The primary Brattle team members included Michael Cragg, Daniel Fanaras, Dan Gaynor, Charlie Gibbons, and David McKnight.

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The post GCR Recognizes <i>In re: Blue Cross Blue Shield Antitrust Litigation</i> Team with 2021 Team Award “Litigation of the Year – Cartel Prosecution” appeared first on Brattle.

Dr. Duh will join the panel for the “Health & Big Data: Antitrust & Privacy Issues” session on Friday, June 25 at 8:00 a.m. (PT) | 11:00 a.m. (ET) | 5:00 p.m. (CEST).

Brattle is pleased to sponsor the Concurrences Antitrust in Life Sciences Conference. The event audio and video recording can be downloaded here (for subscribers).

The post Antitrust and Privacy Issues with Health and Big Data: Dr. Josephine Duh to Discuss at Antitrust in Life Sciences Conference appeared first on Brattle.

The article reviews the important features of these datasets and explains how they have been used to provide evidentiary support in various legal contexts, including pharmaceutical delayed entry cases, billing and valuation disputes, government investigations, and merger analyses.

The full article can be found on the AHLA website (login required).

The post Brattle Experts Author a Primer on Health Care Administrative Claims Data and Its Importance in the Legal Arena appeared first on Brattle.