Albany boards should promote competition  Guest commentary  Bo
Dorough Jr.  Bo Dorough Jr.  The Economic Development Commission
recently voted to submit a letter in support of Phoebe Putney’s
purchase of Palmyra Medical Center, and the County Commission
instructed its attorney to “compose a letter” in support of
Phoebe Putney’s efforts to retain control of Palmyra.
Initially, one must question the propriety of the letters in
question. Phoebe Putney sought to purchase Palmyra after
Palmyra’s lawsuit, in which it sought damages for alleged
violations of federal antitrust laws, was reinstated by the 11th
U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2010. The subsequent
transaction was structured so that the Hospital Authority would
purchase Palmyra and then promptly lease Palmyra back to Phoebe
Putney.  The Federal Trade Commission, which has responsibility
for preventing anticompetitive and unfair business practices,
conducted an exhaustive investigation after receiving notice of
the proposed transaction. Research confirm