Dental Benefit v. Eiseman, Pets.

• Court: Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
• Decided: October 23, 2014
• Docket: 132 EAL 2014 (Granted)
• Status: Published

Opinion

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA EASTERN DISTRICT

DENTAL BENEFIT PROVIDERS, INC. : No. 132 EAL 2014 AND UNITEDHEALTHCARE OF : PENNSYLVANIA, INC. D/B/A : UNITEDHEALTHCARE COMMUNITY : Petition for Allowance of Appeal from the PLAN AND HEALTHAMERICA : Order of the Commonwealth Court PENNSYLVANIA, INC., D/B/A : COVENTRYCARES, : : Respondents : : : v. : : : JAMES EISEMAN, JR. AND THE PUBLIC : INTEREST LAW CENTER OF : PHILADELPHIA, : : Petitioners :

AETNA BETTER HEALTH INC., HEALTH : No. 133 EAL 2014 PARTNERS OF PHILADELPHIA, INC., : KEYSTONE MERCY HEALTH PLAN, : AND DENTAQUEST, LLC, : Petition for Allowance of Appeal from the : Order of the Commonwealth Court Respondents : : : v. : : : JAMES EISEMAN, JR., AND THE : PUBLIC INTEREST LAW CENTER OF : PHILADELPHIA, : : Petitioners : DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WELFARE, : No. 134 EAL 2014 : Respondent : : Petition for Allowance of Appeal from the : Order of the Commonwealth Court v. : : : JAMES EISEMAN, JR. AND THE PUBLIC : INTEREST LAW CENTER OF : PHILADELPHIA, : : Petitioners :

ORDER

PER CURIAM

AND NOW, this 23rd day of October, 2014, the Petition for Allowance of Appeal

is GRANTED. The issue is:

Whether records showing the rates dental providers receive for treating Medicaid enrollees are “public records” subject to disclosure under the Right-to-Know Law when DPW’s contracts with [MCO]s mandate that it have possession of or “ready access” to such records, and when such records directly relate to the governmental function of providing dental care to Medicaid enrollees[.]

The Prothonotary shall establish parallel briefing tracks for this case and Department of

Public Welfare v. Eiseman, No. 129-31 EAL 2014, and the two cases, though not

consolidated, shall be listed for argument at the same Court session.

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