Ophthalmologists are fined for illegal price fixing for self paying patients

The private hospital group Spire Healthcare and seven ophthalmologists have admitted taking part in an illegal price fixing agreement over the charges for an initial consultation for self paying patients at a hospital in the north of England.

Spire was fined £1.2m (€1.3m; $1.5m) and six of the consultants were fined sums between £642 and £2978 after an investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The seventh, who blew the whistle on the deal, was not fined.

The fines reflect a discount of 20%, applied because all the parties …