Hospital mergers lead to increased prices, according to a study conducted by a University of Arizona economics professor. Gautam Gowrisankaran, an economics professor at UA's Eller College of Management, teamed up with coauthors Aviv Nevo of Northwestern University and Robert Town of the Wharton School to study the effects of hospital mergers. "What we're trying to do is understand how we should think about competition in these industries," Gowrisankaran said.