DOJ Antitrust Settlement Requires North Carolina Physician Group To Disband
Client Alert | 1 min read | 12.15.02
On December 13th, the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice announced that it will require Mountain Health Care, an independent physicians organization headquartered in Asheville, North Carolina, to cease its operations and dissolve. The Department said that under a proposed settlement, Mountain Health Care will cease negotiating and contracting with health care plans on behalf of its participating physicians, a practice DOJ said resulted in consumers paying increased prices to Mountain Health Care's physician members for health care services.
Click here for the DOJ complaint, stipulation to final judgment, and competitive impact statement.
According to the DOJ complaint filed in federal district court in connection with the settlement, Mountain Health Care restrained price and other forms of competition among physicians in Western North Carolina by adopting a uniform fee schedule for its physicians. Mountain Health Care agreed to contracts with managed care purchasers that incorporated the collectively set fees. These actions resulted in higher rates charged to health plans leading to higher health costs for ultimate consumers, DOJ said.
Insights
Client Alert | 4 min read | 04.09.26
DOJ Establishes National Fraud Enforcement Division
On April 7, 2026, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche issued a memorandum establishing the National Fraud Enforcement Division (NFED) within the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). This new division will be dedicated to the centralized, coordinated investigation and prosecution of fraud against taxpayer dollars and taxpayer-funded programs. AAG Blanche acknowledged that, while DOJ has a “storied history of combatting fraud,” DOJ has “never adopted a comprehensive and coordinated approach to investigating and prosecuting fraud against taxpayer dollars and tax-payer funded programs.” The NFED was created to close that gap with its core mission being to “zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars.”
Client Alert | 2 min read | 04.09.26
OMB Issues New Policy on Federal IT Transparency and Acquisition Oversight
Client Alert | 3 min read | 04.09.26
Preserve It or Lose It: A Missing Jury Instruction Costs Columbia University $94M in Damages
Client Alert | 5 min read | 04.09.26
U.S. State Privacy Enforcement: Key Priorities and Practical Guidance From State Regulators
