DOJ to judge: Don't delay case over Michigan hospital's marketing practices

The Justice Department called on a Michigan court to move forward with the DOJ's anticompetitive advertising case against Jackson, Mich.-based Henry Ford Allegiance Health.

Here are five things to know about the case.

1. The Department of Justice sued four Michigan hospital systems in June 2015, alleging that for years the systems unlawfully allocated marketing territories to limit competition. Among the four defendants named, Henry Ford Allegiance Health was the only one that didn't settle with the government.

2. In June 2016, the DOJ's suit against Henry Ford Allegiance Health was sent to trial.

3. On Jan. 19, Henry Ford Allegiance Health filed a motion to delay the trial, which is scheduled for March 6. This request comes after the trial was already delayed twice.

4. Henry Ford Allegiance Health said it needs more time to arrange settlement discussions with Justice Department officials. 

5. However, the DOJ opposed Henry Ford Allegiance Health's most recent request for several reasons. The DOJ argues extending the trail would allow continued implementation of the hospital's "unlawful" marketing tactics; the hospital previously failed to treat settlement discussions as "priority"; and "nothing prevents [the DOJ] and Allegiance from engaging in settlement negotiations while also preparing for trial."

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