US Antitrust Suit Against Hartford Healthcare Moves Forward

Saint Francis Hospital ‘s antitrust suit against Hartford HealthCare can move forward, a Judge ruled this week. Hartford HealthCare and its affiliates are being accused of monopolizing health care across much of the state through acquisitions.

US District Judge Sarala V. Nagala ruled for Hartford HealthCare in two of the suit’s contentions. One accusation was a Saint Francis claim that Hartford HealthCare used anticompetitive practice by not actively participating in tiered group medical insurance plans.

The judge left most of the suit intact in denying a motion by Hartford HealthCare to dismiss it.

Related: DOJ Withdraws Certain Healthcare Antitrust Enforcement Guidelines

A spokeswoman for Harford HealthCare said, “We are pleased that the Court dismissed one of the two core legal theories put forth by St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center, one of almost 90 hospitals across the nation run by Michigan-based Trinity Health. We continue to maintain that this lawsuit has no merit and distorts the many ways in which Hartford HealthCare serves our communities. We will defend ourselves against these baseless allegations while we remain focused on providing the highest quality care to the patients and communities that we have the privilege of serving.”

A spokeswoman for Saint Francis said, “Due to ongoing litigation, we are unable to comment.”

In the suit which began last year, Saint Francis says that Hartford HealthCare has driven up costs and captured 60 to 80 percent of the specialty care market in part through “a campaign of exclusion.