University of Pittsburgh Medical Center has filed a court motion, demanding Pittsburgh-based health insurer Highmark withdraw a 2009 antitrust lawsuit against the health system filed by Highmark's affiliate, West Penn Allegheny Health System, according to a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report.
The lawsuit accused UPMC of using its market dominance to suffocate Pittsburgh-based West Penn. West Penn sued UPMC and Highmark in 2009, claiming the two organizations colluded to stifle competition. After Highmark and West Penn agreed to merge, West Penn dropped the insurer from the suit, leaving UPMC as the lone defendant.
Highmark acquired West Penn in late April and renamed the system Allegheny Health Network.
In May 2012, Highmark agreed to withdraw the lawsuit as part of an agreement to extend UPMC's contract. In UPMC's latest filing, the health system claims Highmark is "refusing to honor its obligations." It is seeking the withdrawal of the lawsuit with prejudice, which means it would not be revived.
Highmark released a statement saying UPMC "continues to use heavy-handed legal maneuvering in an attempt to eliminate competition in the western Pennsylvania healthcare delivery market and further drive up the already unsustainable cost of healthcare in the region," according to the report.
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