In this episode:

• Why non-compete clauses are important in health care setting.
• How proposed rule from Federal Trade Commission (FTC) banning employers from using non-compete clauses on employees could impact patients’ access to care.
• The additional burden new non-compete rule could have on tax-paying systems.
• Effect of FTC’s increased scrutiny on health systems integration.
• Repercussions of slowing integration on access to hospital care in rural areas.

Guest:

Dr. Subbu Ramanarayanan chairs NERA’s Health care Antitrust practice and is an adjunct Associate Professor of Competitive Strategy at UCLA Anderson School of management. Dr. Ramanarayanan has extensive experience advising clients on antitrust reviews of proposed mergers and acquisitions before the Federal (FTC and DOJ) and state antitrust agencies across a variety of settings in health care including hospital services, health insurance, physician services, medical devices, and Healthcare IT services.    

The Federal Trade Commission’s recent activity to end noncompete clauses has potential to cause severe ramifications for health care systems. At the same time, the FTC is taking a dim view of important hospital system integration.

Each of these things can have an immediate and powerful impact on the health care landscape. 

The latest controversial proposed rule – which would ban employers from imposing noncompete clauses on their employees - would make it more difficult for health care systems to staff up while also increasing already high workforce costs --- all potentially effecting access to patient care and available services.