St. Francis files suit against Hartford HealthCare over intimidation claims, anticompetitive actions

HARTFORD, CT (WFSB) - St. Francis Hospital filed a lawsuit against Hartford HealthCare over claims that Hartford HealthCare cornered the health care market in and around Hartford.

The 75-page suit was filed on Tuesday in U.S. District Court. See the whole document here or below:

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The suit named the Hartford HealthCare Corporation, Hartford Hospital, the Hartford HealthCare Medical Group Inc., and Integrated Care Partners, LLC as the defendants. 

St. Francis claimed in the suit that Hartford Healthcare remedied "a campaign of exclusive, acquisition and intimidation that caused serious harm to health care competition and consumers in the Hartford, Connecticut area."

It also said that Hartford HealthCare executives planned to "crush" or "bury" St. Francis Hospital, Hartford HealthCare's most significant competitor.

The document said that over the last four years, Hartford HealthCare acquired a number of physician practices, demanded those physicians refer all of their cases to Hartford HealthCare or otherwise be penalized, and threatened and intimidated physicians who did not follow what the company dictated.

That even went for those patients whose best option for care was not at a Hartford HealthCare facility, the suit claimed.

St. Francis said it sought both damages and a permanent injunction prohibiting Hartford HealthCare's anticompetitive conduct.

University of New Haven's Victor Rodriguez says this case is going to involve a lot of fact finding. "Now we have these allegations and the complaint, but now there's going to be an answer to the complaint by Hartford HealthCare. And then there's going to be this fact-finding process during the litigation."

Saint Francis also claims Hartford HealthCare has been getting exclusive access to equipment.

Specifically, a mako robot for knee surgery.

Saint Francis claims they couldn't get one for year because of an exclusive deal.

They want a full stop on business practices cited in the lawsuit, saying it’s costing people quality care.

Hartford HealthCare provided a statement to Channel 3 on Wednesday.

We believe the complaint filed by St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center is without merit. Hartford HealthCare denies these allegations and we will vigorously defend against them.

Our focus remains on serving the needs of our patients and our communities during this raging pandemic, as we care for more hospitalized COVID-19 patients than ever before.

Trinity Health of New England, of which St. Francis Hospital is a member, also released a statement.

St. Francis Hospital announced yesterday it has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Hartford HealthCare Corporation and its affiliates. The complaint alleges that Hartford HealthCare and its affiliates have engaged in anticompetitive behavior, including the acquisition of practices of more than 50 physicians, control of physician referrals and demands for exclusive access to medical equipment.

Our ultimate goal is to ensure that residents of the greater Hartford area have access to health care that is high in quality with lower costs. Competition encourages health care providers to reduce costs and increase quality. If we are successful, the winners will be health care consumers in the greater Hartford area.

According to the complaint, as a result of its anticompetitive practices, Hartford Hospital has a dominant market share in numerous markets despite Saint Francis' lower rates for healthcare services and higher quality results. The lawsuit states that these actions have impeded free competition that would lower costs and increase quality, which would ultimately benefit the residents of the greater Hartford area.

The lawsuit alleges that these anticompetitive actions have been going on for several years. We have been studying the impact of Hartford HealthCare’s actions for almost a year. We were reluctant to take this step, but felt that we needed to act to protect our patients, physicians and the community.

Channel 3 will have more on this story at noon and starting at 4 p.m.