A federal judge for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas denied U.S. Anesthesia Partners’ motion to dismiss an antitrust class action..
The lawsuit, which will now proceed to discovery, was brought on behalf of a proposed class of patients and alleges USAP engaged in an acquisition and consolidation strategy that artificially inflated prices and harmed patients across Texas.
The judge determined the plaintiff plausibly alleged that USAP “exploited its leverage” in the hospital-only anesthesia services market, according to a Dec. 4 news release from Gibbs & Bruns LLP.
The ruling comes as a parallel case by the Federal Trade Commission against USAP resumes after a temporary pause during the federal government shutdown, according to the release. Both cases arrive amid growing scrutiny of medical costs and the financial impact of market consolidation on patients.Becker’s has reached out to USAP for comment and will update this story as more information becomes available.
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