Hospital Merger To Be Reviewed

{Kentucky}...Governor Steve Beshear said Wednesday that it's too early for him to decide whether to approve a merger which involves University of Louisville Hospital, Jewish Hospital and St. Mary's HealthCare, and the Lexington-based St. Joseph Healthcare System, owned by Denver-based Catholic Health Initiatives. Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said there are "a lot of good reasons to do the merger," but the public needs to be comfortable with it. Beshear and the Federal Trade Commission has asked Attorney General Jack Conway to head the legal review of the merger for the state. Conway says issues he will be reviewing range from the use of public property to charitable gifts. Auditor Crit Luallen said she will help Conway analyze financial issues in the merger.