Antitrust Law Daily Wrap Up, ANTITRUST NEWS: Florida health care provider settles monopolization, conspiracy claims, (Aug 17, 2016)

By Greg Hammond, J.D.

Health First, Inc. and its subsidiaries have settled allegations that they attempted to establish a vertically integrated, self-reinforcing, illegally-maintained health care monopoly in Southern Brevard County, Florida. Just days after denying Health First’s motion for summary judgment, the federal district court in Orlando dismissed the antitrust claims with prejudice in light of the settlement (Omni Healthcare Inc. v. Health First, Inc., Case No. 6:13-cv-1509-RBD-DAB).

Omni Healthcare, Inc. and other physicians and physician practice groups filed suit against "fully integrated" health care corporation Health First, Inc. and three of its wholly owned subsidiaries: Holmes Regional Medical Center, Inc.; Health First Health Plans, Inc., and Health First Physicians, Inc. Omni alleged that Health First engaged in an anticompetitive scheme to monopolize Southern Brevard County’s interrelated health care markets for years and that the scheme has largely been successful.

The court denied Health First’s motion for summary judgment on August 13, finding that Omni and other physicians and physician groups created genuine issues of material fact in whether Health First monopolized, attempted to monopolize, and conspired to monopolize the markets for physician services, Medicare Advantage, and ancillary services.

Attorneys: Damien Hunter Prosser (Morgan & Morgan, PA) and Charles Nicholas Dorman (Whatley Kallas, LLC) for Omni Healthcare Inc. and Interventional Spine Institute of Florida. Anna T. Neill (Kenny Nachwalter, PA) and Dominic C. MacKenzie (Holland & Knight, LLP) for Health First, Inc., Holmes Regional Medical Center, Inc. and Health First Physicians, Inc.

Companies: Omni Healthcare Inc.; Health First, Inc.; Holmes Regional Medical Center, Inc.; Health First Physicians, Inc.

News: Antitrust FloridaNews