Liaising with your practice group colleagues and your peers is
fundamental to ensuring New Zealanders receive excellent
healthcare. But being a health professional providing important and
indispensible services does not immunise you from the law governing
competition in business.
The number of investigations into healthcare professionals
around the world, including New Zealand, illustrates the importance
regulatory authorities place on competition in healthcare service
provision.
What does the law say?
New Zealand's competition law is found in the Commerce Act.
Key areas for medical professionals to be aware of are that
price-fixing and market sharing arrangements between competitors
are unlawful – as are any contracts, arrangements or
understandings that have the purpose, effect or likely effect of
substantially lessening competition.
