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Article: Chicago Tribune Inside Health Care column.
- Article from:
- Chicago Tribune (Chicago, IL)
- Article date:
- February 10, 2005
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Chicago Tribune. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Bruce Japsen
Feb. 10--WASHINGTON -- Just as a trial begins here Thursday that may determine whether a Chicago-area hospital merger led to reduced competition and significantly higher prices, a new analysis shows that such health-care deals are on the rise again.
Last year, the number of hospitals acquired or merged into larger health-care systems rose 136 percent, to 130 from 55 in 2003. It's the largest number of hospitals involved in merger activity since 2000, when 129 hospitals were involved in such deals, according to Irving Levin Associates Inc., a New Canaan, Conn.-based publisher of health-care information.
The increased number ...