FTC Bid to Block New Jersey Hospital Merger Upheld on Appeal (2)

The Federal Trade Commission won a Third Circuit ruling upholding a pause on hospital operator Hackensack Meridian Health’s acquisition of Englewood Healthcare Foundation while the agency proceeds with an administrative trial to permanently block the deal.

The antitrust regulatory agency established that “there is a reasonable probability that the merger will substantially impair competition,” according to an opinion Tuesday by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

The two New Jersey-based healthcare systems signed their merger deal, which took effect in September 2019. Hackensack committed $439.5 million in capital investments over eight years and ...