The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center has asked a federal judge to halt an antitrust suit filed by its competitor, West Penn Allegheny Health System, due to a recent contract agreement between UPMC and insurer Highmark, according to a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report.
West Penn sued UPMC and Highmark — all based in Pittsburgh — in 2009, claiming the two organizations colluded to stifle competition. After Highmark and West Penn agreed to merge last year, West Penn dropped the insurer from the suit, leaving UPMC as the lone defendant.
UPMC claims that — due to its recent agreement with Highmark and Highmark's pending acquisition of West Penn — there is no reason to pursue litigation that may be dropped, according to the report. The Highmark-UPMC agreement calls for the lawsuit to be dropped if Highmark's affiliation with West Penn receives regulatory approval.
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West Penn sued UPMC and Highmark — all based in Pittsburgh — in 2009, claiming the two organizations colluded to stifle competition. After Highmark and West Penn agreed to merge last year, West Penn dropped the insurer from the suit, leaving UPMC as the lone defendant.
UPMC claims that — due to its recent agreement with Highmark and Highmark's pending acquisition of West Penn — there is no reason to pursue litigation that may be dropped, according to the report. The Highmark-UPMC agreement calls for the lawsuit to be dropped if Highmark's affiliation with West Penn receives regulatory approval.
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