The lawsuit, filed by two pharmacy residents Feb. 28 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, alleges that the hospitals, the ASHP and National Matching Services conspired to eliminate fair competition for pharmacy residency positions, violating federal antitrust laws, according to court documents obtained by Becker’s.
The plaintiffs, Alexis Albert and May Ann Hudgins, filed the lawsuit on behalf of all similarly situated pharmacy residents. The complaint alleges that the hospitals used the ASHP Resident Matching Program to standardize and suppress wages, limit mobility between employers and restrict residency opportunities.
The hospitals named in the lawsuit are Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, Houston Methodist Hospital, Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, University of Chicago Medical Center, Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside in Pittsburgh, UF Health Central Florida in Leesburg and The Queen’s Health Systems in Honolulu.
The plaintiffs allege that the hospitals and the ASHP also conspired to exchange compensation information and control the number of residency positions available.
The lawsuit seeks an injunction to halt the alleged antitrust practices.
Becker’s has reached out to the ASHP for comment and will update this article if more information becomes available.
