BOISE, Idaho – Hospital system consolidation has been on the rise nationally for decades. Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador made an antitrust push against healthcare mergers on Thursday by announcing a consent decree ordering the division of Kootenai Health and Syringa Hospital and Clinics.
Kootenai Health purchased Clearwater Valley Hospital in Orofino and St. Mary’s Hospital in Cottonwood in 2020 in addition to entering into a management agreement with Syringa Hospital in Grangeville in 2017.
According to Labrador’s office, the management agreement made Syringa’s CEO an employee of Kootenai Health.
“As a result of this agreement, Kootenai Health had access to Syringa’s significant competitively sensitive non-public information,” the attorney general’s office said.
The new consent decree will require Kootenai Health to terminate all contracts with Syringa Hospital, with any potential exceptions requiring the approval of the attorney general.
The consent decree did not mention Kootenai Health’s ownership of St. Mary’s Hospital or Clearwater Valley. NonStop Local has reached out to the Idaho Attorney General’s Office to confirm that St. Mary’s and Clearwater Valley are still owned by Kootenai Health following the consent decree.
