UPMC Says West Penn is Withholding Details of Highmark Takeover

Tags: court order | Highmark | hospital acquisition | lawsuit | UPMC | West Penn

UPMC has filed a motion accusing Pittsburgh-based West Penn Allegheny Health System of non-compliance with a discovery request, according to a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report.

The issue stems from 2009, when West Penn sued UPMC and Highmark for allegedly colluding to stunt competition in the region. When Highmark acquired West Penn, the insurer was dropped from the suit. West Penn now wants to target only UPMC in the suit, but a judge gave UPMC the right to conduct limited discovery before he provides a ruling on that request.

UPMC attorneys claim they've asked West Penn for documents and depositions, but that West Penn has refused to cooperate with any requests. UPMC is especially interested in the affiliation agreement between West Penn and Highmark. It wants to depose executives from each organization and ask how the agreement was negotiated, how West Penn will now be governed and about all financial transactions between the two.

A West Penn lawyer was not available for comment at the time of the news report's publication.

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