OhioHealth settles state lawsuit

VW independent staff/submitted information

COLUMBUS — Four months after being named in an antitrust lawsuit, OhioHealth has announced it has reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice and the Ohio Attorney General to end litigation over language in certain managed care contracts.

OhioHealth does not admit any wrongdoing in the agreement, and maintains their contracting practices were and are lawful and appropriate. OhioHealth will not pay penalties, fines or damages.

The contract provisions in question date back as far as two decades and were designed to provide protections to OhioHealth from specific insurance company practices common at the time.

According to statement, OhioHealth said it periodically renegotiates contracts with various payors in a highly competitive market. Payors have always retained flexibility in designing and offering healthcare plans to meet the needs of employers and consumers. Notably, no insurer had requested that OhioHealth remove any of the provisions that were the focus of the lawsuit. 

“As a not-for-profit, faith-based healthcare system, OhioHealth’s priority has always been and continues to be providing patients and their families with high-quality, accessible, affordable healthcare across the communities it serves,” the statement said. “OhioHealth is choosing to resolve this lawsuit to avoid costly and time-consuming litigation.”

Key takeaways:

• OhioHealth does not admit that there was any wrongdoing.
• OhioHealth will not pay penalties, fines or damages.
• The agreement will be submitted to the court for approval and final judgment will be available to the public.

Based in Columbus, OhioHealth has 16 hospitals, including OhioHealth Van Wert Hospital.