Neither the Federal Trade Commission nor Phoebe Putney Health System is stating yet what its next move might be following a ruling last week from the U.S. Supreme Court, but indications are that the matter is not over yet. In a slip opinion released Feb. 19, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Georgia had not clearly articulated and affirmatively expressed a policy to allow hospital authorities to make acquisitions that substantially lessen competition. With the ruling, the high court reversed a lower court ruling and effectively sided with the FTC in its ongoing challenge of the acquisition of Palmyra Medical Center.
