Bradley Partner Jay Hardcastle Quoted in Modern Healthcare on Possible Acquisition of Mission Health

Bradley attorney Jay Hardcastle was quoted in Modern Healthcare on why HCA Healthcare may want to acquire Mission Health, a not-for-profit health system with a 49.5 percent market share across the 11 counties it operates in. Policy and legal experts say the recent elimination of state-imposed limits on Mission's margin, costs and physician hiring may make the acquisition attractive.

Hardcastle said he doesn't foresee a valid federal challenge to the deal. The state's attorney general, however, will study the system's future commitments with respect to capital investments, hospital operations and community benefit programs, and may require ongoing commitments in those areas.

It could become an issue if Mission is already viewed as dominant in the market and the addition of HCA's resources would make it more so, but that challenge would more likely come from the state level, Hardcastle explained.

The complete article, “HCA may see fellow market leader in Mission Health,” appeared in Modern Healthcare on April 7, 2018.