Third time’s a charm: The Tipline for 30 October 2020

If at first you don’t succeed, buy, buy again. Sanford Health’s last two major merger attempts fell apart following a long legal battle with the Federal Trade Commission and a merging company that backed out of their deal after 18 months of negotiations. But Sanford is not giving up on its dream to consolidate the health system market, announcing plans last week to combine with Intermountain Healthcare. Former FTC attorneys say the deal is unlikely to face a commission challenge, but staff may be eyeing another theory of harm.