Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission to Hold Public Workshop on Examining U.S. Health Care Competition

The Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will host a joint public workshop, Examining Health Care Competition, on Feb. 24 and 25, 2015, in the Constitution Center Auditorium located at 400 7^th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C., 20024.

The workshop will study recent developments related to health care provider organization and payment models, with an emphasis on how they may affect competition in the provision of health care services.  Specific discussion topics may include early observations regarding accountable care organizations; alternatives to traditional fee-for-service payment models; trends in provider consolidation; trends in provider network and benefit design strategies, as well as contracting practices and regulatory activity that may enhance or undermine these strategies; and early observations regarding health insurance exchanges.

The workshop will be webcast live on the FTC’s website.  Registration information, an agenda, directions to the FTC Conference Center and a list of speakers will be available on the event web page.  Advance registration is not required, but is strongly encouraged.

Public comments should be submitted by Feb. 16, 2015, to be considered for the workshop.  Interested persons can continue to submit comments through April 30, 2015.  Suggested comment topics, and instructions on how to submit comments online and by mail, can be found in the Federal Register notice.

Reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities who wish to attend the workshop in person are available upon request.  Requests should be submitted via email to lkittleson@ftc.gov or by calling Lara Kittelson at 202-326-3388.  Requests should be made in advance.  Please include a detailed description of the accommodation needed and provide contact information.                                                                                                                       

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