WASHINGTON – FAH President and CEO Chip Kahn released the following statement after reviewing the Executive Order signed by President Biden today:

“The best of intentions can be misguided. Ensuring access to needed medical attention for rural Americans is not going to be assured by excessive antitrust enforcement action of the FTC or Justice Department. Miring hospitals in legal and bureaucratic red tape will simply slow critical care to the bedside. FAH has always viewed free-market competition as the best means to provide high quality care, but it is chasing a mirage to think that patient access and choice in health care can be achieved through constraining integration of health care services.

“Instead, the Administration should recognize that the tragic COVID-19 pandemic has at least provided a natural experiment that demonstrates that hospital integration and scale can serve patients and communities during times of dire need. Health care systems showed their mettle in the pandemic as drivers of advancement in care and assuring they were there for patients with the cutting-edge treatment they deserve and expect from our providers.”