Featured in Becker’s Healthcare:
The current issue highlights Steven Adler, Co-Chair of Healthcare Litigation, Litigation & Employment Law at Mandelbaum Barrett PC, for his recent lawsuit filing on behalf of Salerno Medical Associates and Dr. Alexander Salerno.
The suit alleges that RWJBarnabas Health has implemented anti-competitive policies that effectively lock independent doctors out of treating their own patients within RWJB hospitals.
Key Allegations Include:
➡️ ICU Restrictions: Only hospital-employed intensivists may treat ICU patients, excluding community physicians from critical care.
➡️ ED Observation Rule: A mandatory 48-hour observation period places patient care solely under RWJB hospitalists.
➡️ Call Coverage Limits: Independent internists with admitting privileges are barred from call schedules, now reserved exclusively for employed hospitalists.
The suit claims these policies create “closed units,” diverting patient care, billing, and referrals exclusively to RWJB-employed physicians — raising serious concerns under antitrust laws, the Stark Law, and New Jersey’s Antitrust Act.