US: Hill-Rom named in yet another healthcare antitrust suit

Hill-Rom Holdings, Inc. was named in a civil antitrust lawsuit by plaintiff Universal Hospital Services (UHS) on Wednesday in US District Court for the Western District of Texas. UHS alleges that Hill-Rom has returned to practices that resulted in two previous antitrust lawsuits in 2002 and in 2003. The juries ruled against Hill-Rom in both cases and forced the company to settle the 2002 case for $250 million and the 2003 case for $337.5 million.

UHS alleges that Hill-Rom is using its control of 70 percent of the market for patient handling equipment and movable medical equipment to bundle discounts and create exclusive deals. UHS further alleges that Hill-Rom started by leveraging its control of the standard hospital beds and offering discounted bundles at prices that other companies could not match while remaining above cost.

UHS is seeking injunctive relief and treble damages. A copy of the lawsuit is available at http://www.hunton.com/files/webupload/UHS-Complaint.pdf

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