A U.S. District Court judge has ruled that it is not the appropriate court to decide whether to grant the Federal Trade Commission's request for a court order for more information surrounding the merger of Maumee, Ohio-based St. Luke's Hospital and Toledo, Ohio-based ProMedica Health System, according to a Toledo Blade report.
The merger was announced in May and finalized Aug. 31. However, the deal is under a "hold-separate" with the FTC in place until Oct. 30, which means that the hospital and health system must delay integration until the end of the month, unless the FTC approves it prior to that date.
The FTC's emergency order claims it made investigative subpoenas and civil investigative demands for information on the merger on Aug. 25, which were due on Sept. 24. The FTC did not receive the required information and filed the emergency order in response, which would require the St. Luke's, ProMedica and ProMedica subsidiary Paramount Health Care to provide information requested by the FTC by Oct. 21
The hospital and health systems denied they refused to comply with the requests, saying they did not receive a written request for the information until Sept. 24 — the date the FTC claims the information was due, according to a separate Toledo Blade report.
It is unclear at this time whether the FTC will file the order with another court.
Read more coverage on the St. Luke's and ProMedica merger:
- Ohio's St. Luke's Hospital to Join ProMedica Health System
- Toledo's St. Luke's Hospital Considering Merger
The merger was announced in May and finalized Aug. 31. However, the deal is under a "hold-separate" with the FTC in place until Oct. 30, which means that the hospital and health system must delay integration until the end of the month, unless the FTC approves it prior to that date.
The FTC's emergency order claims it made investigative subpoenas and civil investigative demands for information on the merger on Aug. 25, which were due on Sept. 24. The FTC did not receive the required information and filed the emergency order in response, which would require the St. Luke's, ProMedica and ProMedica subsidiary Paramount Health Care to provide information requested by the FTC by Oct. 21
The hospital and health systems denied they refused to comply with the requests, saying they did not receive a written request for the information until Sept. 24 — the date the FTC claims the information was due, according to a separate Toledo Blade report.
It is unclear at this time whether the FTC will file the order with another court.
Read more coverage on the St. Luke's and ProMedica merger:
- Ohio's St. Luke's Hospital to Join ProMedica Health System
- Toledo's St. Luke's Hospital Considering Merger