FTC Sues Medical Company for ‘Anticompetitive’ Practices, Raising Anesthesia Costs in Texas

A private equity firm bought up anesthesia practices in Texas and engaged in price-setting arrangements, the FTC says.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) building is seen in Washington on Sept. 19, 2006. Paul J. Richards/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sued U.S. Anesthesia Partners Inc. (USAP) and an equity firm backing it, alleging the duo engaged in a “multi-year anticompetitive scheme” that drove up prices of anesthesia services in Texas.

In 2012, New York-based private equity firm Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe created USAP, which is now a dominant provider of anesthesia services in Texas.