国际动态||FTC要求肾透析连锁公司DaVita剥离资产以收购竞争对手Renal风险管理公司

3月28日讯  美国联邦贸易委员会将要求全国连锁公司DaVita剥离其七个诊所的资产，其中五个诊所位于新泽西州的市区或郊区，两个在德克萨斯达拉斯的郊区，作为该公司面临的针对其对竞争对手Renal投资管理有限责任公司的并购案的具有反竞争效果的指控的解决方案的一部分，该项并购价值达三亿五千八百万美元。DaVita是美国第二大向诊所病人提供透析服务的公司，Renal则排在第七位。DaVita将剥离七家诊所给PDA-GMF Holdco有限责任公司，后者是Physicians Dialysis和GMF资本有限责任公司设立的合资公司。Physicians Dialysis公司自1990年起营业至今，目前运营着一些为诊所病人提供透析服务的诊所。 

血液透析是一种大多数晚期肾病患者赖以生存的治疗方法，通过过滤一个人的血液来代替其肾脏的功能。大多数患者每周必须到诊所接受三次治疗以维持生命，每次治疗持续3-5个小时。许多晚期肾病患者非常虚弱，很难承受到太远的地方接受治疗。因此，透析治疗诊所之间的竞争通常发生在本地。

在新泽西州的Brick、Clifton、Somerville、Succasunna和Trenton以及达拉斯地区的Denton和Frisco等地的市场中，该项并购将产生显著的反竞争效果。目前，DaVita和Renal Ventures clinics在这些市场上直接相互竞争。并购将意味着，要么导致垄断,要么使竞争者从三个减少到两个。委员会称，如果没有竞争，对于透析患者而言很有可能将面临下降的服务质量和更高的价格。

委员会还表示，在这七个市场中，新进入透析行业参与竞争不太可能，因为这些市场没有足够多现成的肾病专家来支持新的竞争。

根据提议解决方案的条款，DaVita必须获得每个被剥离诊所的医学主任关于在其向PDA-GMF Holdco移转产权后继续提供医疗服务的允诺；获得相关业主将有关设施的租约转移给买主的同意；并且向买主提供采访以及聘用被剥离诊所的员工的机会。

此外，根据提出的解决方案，DaVita在三年内不得与这七所诊所的医学主任签订合同，并且该公司必须提供长达24个月的过渡性服务。该方案还允许联邦贸易委员会任命一名监督人员以保证DaVita遵守方案。

注：当委员会认为有理由相信相关法规已经或正在被违反，以及启动有关程序符合公共利益时，委员会将提出行政指控。一旦委员会最终发布批准并购的同意令，该同意令具有确定未来行动的法律效力，每一个违反该命令的行为都将导致高达40654美元的民事罚款。

The Federal Trade Commission will require the national outpatient kidney-dialysis chain DaVita, Inc. to divest its ownership interest in seven clinics – five in suburban and urban areas of New Jersey and two on the outskirts of Dallas, Texas – as part of a settlement resolving charges that its $358 million acquisition of competitor Renal Ventures Management, LLC would be anticompetitive.

DaVita is the second-largest provider of outpatient dialysis services in the United States and Renal Ventures is the seventh-largest. DaVita will divest the seven clinics to PDA-GMF Holdco, LLC, a joint venture between Physicians Dialysis and GMF Capital LLC. Physicians Dialysis has been in business since 1990 and currently operates several outpatient dialysis clinics.

Hemodialysis – the filtering of a person’s blood to replace the functions of a kidney – is a therapy that most patients with end-stage renal disease need to stay alive. Most patients must visit a clinic as often as three times per week for treatment, for three to five hours at a time, to obtain the life-sustaining therapy. Many end stage renal disease patients are very ill, making it difficult for them to travel too far from their home for treatment. As a result, competition between dialysis clinics usually happens at the local level.

According to the complaint, the acquisition would lead to significant anticompetitive effects in the New Jersey markets of Brick, Clifton, Somerville, Succasunna, and Trenton, and in the Dallas-area markets of Denton and Frisco. Currently, DaVita and Renal Ventures clinics compete directly with each other in these markets, and the merger would represent either a merger to monopoly or a reduction of competitors from three to two. Without that competition, the likely result would be reduced quality and higher prices for dialysis patients, the Commission alleges.

The Commission also alleges that new entry of competing dialysis in these seven markets is not likely, because the markets do not have sufficient available kidney specialists to support new competition.

Under the terms of the proposed settlement, DaVita, Inc. must obtain agreements from the medical director of each divested clinic to continue providing physician services after it transfers ownership to PDA-GMF Holdco; obtain consent from the relevant landlords to transfer leases for the facilities to the buyer; and provide the buyer an opportunity to interview and hire employees from the divested clinics.

Also under the proposed settlement, DaVita is barred from contracting with the medical directors of the seven clinics for three years, and it must provide transition services for up to 24 months. The proposed settlement also allows the FTC to appoint a monitor to ensure DaVita’s compliance.

Details about the case are set forth in the analysis to aid public comment for this matter. The Commission vote to issue the complaint and accept the proposed consent order for public comment was 2-0.

The FTC will publish the consent package in the Federal Register shortly. The agreement will be subject to public comment for 30 days, beginning today and continuing through April 27, 2017, after which the Commission will decide whether to make the proposed consent order final. 

NOTE: The Commission issues an administrative complaint when it has “reason to believe” that the law has been or is being violated, and it appears to the Commission that a proceeding is in the public interest. When the Commission issues a consent order on a final basis, it carries the force of law with respect to future actions. Each violation of such an order may result in a civil penalty of up to $40,654.