Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry has planned a public hearing for the afternoon of Jan. 18 to take comments regarding Pittsburgh-based UPMC's planned merger with Washington (Pa.) Health System, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Jan. 17.
Ms. Henry's office will use community input during the hearing to help determine its public interest role regarding the proposed deal.
The hearing comes as the Federal Trade Commission is reviewing UPMC's acquisition, which would add two hospitals, 18 medical practices and 24 locations from Washington Health to the nonprofit health system's network.
"We are working to complete the affiliation as soon as possible. It would allow WHS to preserve and enhance high-quality health care services for the communities it serves," Paul Wood, vice president and chief communications officer of UPMC, said in a statement shared with Becker's.
SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, a labor union that represents nurses and other healthcare workers, has attempted to unionize UPMC's flagship Pittsburgh-based Presbyterian Hospital for over a decade, and opposes the planned acquisition, the Gazette reported.
SEIU also filed a 56-page complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice last May, suggesting UPMC had violated antitrust laws and suppressed worker wages.
Becker's has reached out to both Washington Health System and the attorney general's office for comment on the hearing.