Hospitals and certificates of public advantage. Establishes a certificate of public advantage (certificate) pertaining to mergers between hospitals located in counties that meet certain requirements to be issued by the state department of health (state department). Provides that a hospital that has been issued a certificate may not be purchased by another hospital or system of hospitals unless the purchase has been approved by the Federal Trade Commission. Sets forth the procedure and standards for obtaining a certificate and maintaining the certificate. Requires the state department to establish fees for the application of a certificate and the monitoring of an entity holding a certificate in an amount reasonably sufficient to fully fund the costs of the review and supervision of the application. Provides that for the first five years that a hospital is operating under a certificate the hospital: (1) may not increase the charge for each individual service that the hospital offers by more than the increase in the Consumer Price Index for Medical Care; and (2) must invest the realized cost savings for the benefit of the community. Requires a hospital the has been issued a certificate to file an annual report. Allows the office of the attorney general to issue an investigative demand concerning the issuance or maintenance of a certificate. Provides for an appeal of a determination made by the state department concerning the issuance or maintenance of a certificate.

Enacted at Ind. Code §§ 16-21-15-1 through 16-21-15-11.