U.S. Third Circuit Court grants appellate stay and expedited appeal schedule

A federal court has delayed plans to integrate PinnacleHealth and the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center into Penn State Health pending appeal.

Late Tuesday, the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals granted the request by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office (AG) for an appellate stay.

The Court also approved an expedited appeal schedule requested by the health systems, which would result in the Court issuing a ruling on the appeal sometime this summer.

The stay temporarily blocks the integration of the two health care organizations until the court rules on the FTC/AG appeal of the Middle District Court decision issued on May 9 by Judge John Jones that denied their initial request for an injunction.

Our health systems are disappointed by the Court's decision to grant a stay but encouraged by its willingness to accept an expedited appeal schedule. Over the next several days the leadership and respective boards of both organizations will carefully review the decision and together determine the next steps in our legal process.

We remain fully committed to finding innovative ways to best serve our patients and our broader community and we are optimistic about a shared future that positions us to provide the highest quality and most cost-effective care possible.

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