Hospital mergers

Petris Center Leadership Recognized for Top-Cited Article in Health Services Research

The Petris Center is proud to announce that Richard Scheffler, Brent Fulton, and Daniel Arnold have been recognized by Wiley as authors of a Top Cited Article (2025) in Health Services Research.

Their paper, “New evidence on the impacts of cross-market hospital mergers on commercial prices and measures of quality, examines how “cross-market” hospital mergers, where hospitals in different geographic areas combine, affect prices and quality of care. Using national commercial claims data and an event study design, the research finds that such mergers are associated with significant increases in hospital prices over time, with prices rising by nearly 13% six years after acquisition, and provides new insights into serial acquisitions. Notably, the study finds no corresponding improvements in quality, as measured by mortality and readmission rates for major conditions.

Read the full article here

States’ Merger Review Authority Is Associated With States Challenging Hospital Mergers, But Prices Continue To Increase

By Brent D. Fulton, Jaime S. King, Daniel R. Arnold, Alexandra D. Montague, Samuel M. Chang, Thomas L. Greaney, and Richard M. Scheffler | Published December 6, 2021 in Health Affairs | Link to Full Article

States can challenge proposed hospital mergers by using antitrust laws to prevent anticompetitive harms. This observational study examined additional state laws—principally charitable trust, nonprofit corporation, health and safety, and certificate-of-need laws—that can serve as complements and substitutes for antitrust laws by empowering states to be notified of, review, and challenge proposed hospital mergers through administrative processes.