The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) recently charged a Puerto Rico ophthalmologist cooperative with organizing a group boycott of a health plan in violation of section 5 of the FTC Act. This action demonstrates the need for providers to be heedful of the antitrust laws when engaging in group contracting efforts. While agreements among independent providers on the prices or payors they will deal with are usually per se illegal, there are exceptions for financially or clinically integrated provider joint ventures. To read more click here.