Lifespan and Care New England have cleared the federal regulatory hurdle of their proposed merger. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has determined that a second request for information is not required for the proposed Lifespan/Care New England merger.

The FTC review of the proposed merger began in mid-November. The FTC’s authority is to look at whether mergers violate federal anti-trust standards. If the FTC believes that a merger may substantially lessen competition in a given marketplace, it can block the merger while it pursues a deeper investigation through a second request for information. The FTC has decided not to issue a second request in this instance.

“We are pleased to receive this favorable decision from the Federal Trade Commission on our proposed merger,” said George Vecchione, president and CEO of Lifespan. “We believe this merger would create a comprehensive health care delivery system that will allow us to continue to provide high quality care to all Rhode Islanders and to maintain our respective missions to care for the uninsured and underinsured. Together, we will be better positioned to contain health care costs in an increasingly difficult environment, increase job opportunities for Rhode Islanders and enhance local teaching and research efforts.”

John J. Hynes, Esq., president and CEO of Care New England, agreed. “This is an important step in obtaining the necessary approval for the proposed merger. We now look forward to moving ahead with the state regulatory review process and to working with the Department of the Attorney General and the Department of Health.”