Drs. Pass & Bertherman, Inc. v. Neighborhood Health Plan

OPINION

Justice FLAHERTY,

for the Court.

We are called upon to determine whether the defendant, Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island (NHP), violated state law when it compensated optometrists at a lower rate than ophthalmologists for the same, or substantially the same, medical procedures. For the reasons set forth in this opinion, we hold that it did not and we affirm the judgment of the Superior Court.

I

Facts & Travel

NHP is a Rhode Island not-for-profit corporation that operates a licensed health maintenance organization (HMO) that provides health insurance coverage to its en-rollees. NHP…