The Association of Independent Doctors, a national group that works with the Federal Trade Commission to stop hospital mergers, says opposition to the Green Mountain (Vt.) Surgery Center is anticompetitive, the VTDigger reports.
Here's what you should know.
1. Surgery center investors are in the midst of a nearly two year long process to earn a certificate of need.
2. The Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems and St. Albans, Vt.-based Northwestern Medical Center both oppose the project. The organizations believe they would lose revenue if the surgery center comes to fruition.
3. Association of Independent Doctors Executive Director Marni Jameson said the group consulted with the FTC who said opposition to the center was anti-competitive.
4. The association, joined by the FTC, encouraged the board to "decide in favor of increased competition," according to the VTDigger.