In the last six months, health systems and the U.S. Justice Department have filed antitrust lawsuits and launched investigations, alleging monopolies against insurance providers, anesthesia providers and more.
Here are four antitrust cases to know:
1. Two hospitals are alleging North American Partners in Anesthesia's noncompete clauses violate antitrust laws. The two hospitals, St. Joseph's Hospital in Syracuse, N.Y., and Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., are affiliates of Livonia, Mich.-based Trinity Health. The suits allege NAPA uses noncompete clauses to restrict competition and "demand exorbitant payments for critical and understaffed patient services."
2. UnitedHealth Group is the target of a Justice Department antitrust investigation. Investigators are zeroing in on the company's ownership across sectors, including physician groups, pharmacy drug benefits and a major health plan. UnitedHealth Group has two main divisions: UnitedHealthcare, its health plan, and Optum, which includes its pharmacy and physician services groups.
3. Emanate Health has filed a suit against Optum, alleging the company steered patients away from physicians who left Optum to join the Covina, Calif.-based health system. The suit, which was filed in federal court in California, accuses Optum of anticompetitive practices such as preventing patients from contacting their physicians who left to join other medical groups.
4. The Justice Department filed to dismiss the government's indictment against Deerfield, Ill.-based ASC chain SCA Health, formerly Surgical Care Affiliates, for allegedly agreeing with competitors to not poach senior-level employees. In a filing in a federal court in Dallas, the department asked a judge to dismiss the charges, saying it would "allow the conservation of this court's time and resources."