Federal Judge Orders Sale in Hospital Antitrust Case

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A federal judge as part of an antitrust lawsuit has appointed a trustee and ordered the sale of an independent physicians' practice acquired by a Boise-area hospital.

U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill on Thursday appointed the trustee to oversee the sale of Saltzer Medical Group, which had been acquired by St. Luke's Health System. The Idaho Statesman reports that Winmill set a 12-month deadline for the sale.

Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, Treasure Valley Hospital, the Federal Trade Commission and Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden in 2012 filed a lawsuit seeking to halt the acquisition.

Winmill in January 2014 ruled that St. Luke's Health System's acquisition of Nampa-based Saltzer Medical Group violated antitrust laws and needed to be unwound. The 9th US. Circuit Court of Appeals in February of this year upheld Winmill's ruling.