As the healthcare industry grapples with the recent settlement of the antitrust case against Sutter Health, The Source Executive Editor Jaime King discusses the possible motivations and implications of this development in Tradeoffs, a healthcare podcast.

In Episode 2 of the podcast, The Train Has Left the Station, Professor King points out that because Sutter is a model for many other health systems around the country, the lawsuit against Sutter’s contracting practices, including all or nothing provisions, had the potential to send shockwaves through the system. The actual implications of the case, however, turns on the specific terms of the settlement, which are kept confidential until court hearings in early 2020. A win for the California attorney general would inspire and signal to other AGs across the country to bring similar antitrust enforcement cases and discourage other systems from such practices, while a favorable settlement for Sutter would promote continuation of the alleged anticompetitive practices.