Antitrust concerns about evolving vertical relationships in health care

The greatest challenges faced by any organization ave those generated by a dynamic environment. Health-care organizations have faced, and will continu e to face, significant demands imposed by changes in the practice of medici ne, technology, markets, and government regulation. Provider responses to t hese environmental changes range from denial and opposition to the active p ursuit of strategies of modification and evolution. Mergers, alliances, and other strategic relationships ave being used to gain stronger market prese nce and both to meet and resist changing market conditions. Because many of these relationships have potential competitive impacts, the level of antit rust surveillance of health-care providers has correspondingly increased. T his antitrust surveillance is a source of concern among health-cave provide rs. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.