A federal judge in Chicago has ruled that healthcare practitioners and organizations may pursue lawsuits alleging that MultiPlan and a group of payers colluded to underpay providers by tens of billions of dollars.
MultiPlan, a technology provider that rebranded as Claritev in February, sought dismissal of a consolidated class-action complaint and a consolidated direct-action complaint brought by healthcare providers. U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly on June 3 denied the motions to dismiss federal and state antitrust claims and state consumer protection claims, but granted the motion to dismiss unjust enrichment claims.
In a statement shared with Becker’s, attorneys representing providers alleged that MultiPlan and the largest payers in the U.S. “orchestrated a cartel through the sharing of competitively sensitive confidential pricing information to illicitly coordinate on out-of-network reimbursements, devastating medical practices, undermining patient care and siphoning billions of dollars from the healthcare system.”
A Claritev spokesperson said in a shared statement that the company remains confident in the strength of its legal position.
“Claritev has always upheld the highest standards of integrity and transparency, operating in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations,” the statement said. “We remain confident that the facts will reinforce what we’ve consistently said — that these lawsuits are without merit and fail to acknowledge the critical role our competitive options play in reducing healthcare costs for employers and improving access for patients.”
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