Re: In the Matter of the Alaska Healthcare Network, Inc. File No. 99 1-0 103

By Schwartz, Gary B.

Book Id: WPLBN0000071095
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Title:	Re: In the Matter of the Alaska Healthcare Network, Inc. File No. 99 1-0 103
Author:	Schwartz, Gary B.
Volume:
Language:	English
Subject:	Trade, Import and export controls, Federal Trade Commission (U.S.)
Collections:	Economics Publications Collection, Federal Trade Commission
Historic Publication Date:
Publisher:	Government Printing Office


Citation APA MLA Chicago B. Schwart, B. G. (n.d.). Re: In the Matter of the Alaska Healthcare Network, Inc. File No. 99 1-0 103. Retrieved from https://self.gutenberg.org/

Description
Government Reference Publication

Excerpt
Dear Secretary Clark: I appreciate the opportunity to provide comment to the F e d d Trade Commission (FTC) regarding allegations that the Alaska Healthcare Network, Inc. (AHW) restrained competition by price fixing and refused to deal with payors except on collectively agreed-upon terms among other issues. I understand these are FTC allegations and do not constitute an admission that any laws were violated. For the public record, I believe AHN should be shielded from the FTC alleged challenges of unlawfid competitive practices since the physician network: 1) is a non-exclusive entity whose members have and continue to contract individually with health plans and other health care purchases prior to and since the establishment of AHN and who may affiliate with other networks, 2) AHN's lay administrator provided median fees representing the Fairbanks North Star Borough medical community to NYLCare at their request, but never negotiated prices for the provision of health and medical services with NYLCare or any third party insurance carrier as alleged in the FTC complaint, 3) AHN and its Contract Committee have not collectively refused to deal with third party carriers, 4) Only the AHN lay administrator had possession of the fees of the competing medical practices and they were never disclosed to the competing medical practices. Furthermore, the fees were only provided to third party carriers requesting the fees, and) AHN has met antitrust safety zones that would not be contested under the antitrust laws. Physician service integration through AHN has resulted in improved quality care, access to multi-specialty medical disciplines, and efficiencies that should have been analyzed rather than ignored by the FTC investigators under the rule of reason...