Corp. De Servicios Integrales De Salud Integral En La Montaña, Inc. v. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico

United States Court of Appeals
For the First Circuit
No. 19-1336
CORP. DE SERVICIOS INTEGRALES DE SALUD INTEGRAL EN LA MONTAÑA,
INC.; MIGRANT HEALTH CENTER, INC.; NEOMED CENTER, INC., f/k/a
Gurabo Community Health Center, Inc.; MOROVIS COMMUNITY HEALTH
CENTER, INC.; CONCILIO DE SALUD INTEGRAL DE LOIZA, INC. (CSILO);
CORPORACION DE SERVICIOS DE SALUD Y MEDICINA AVANZADA, INC.,
(COSSMA); CIALES PRIMARY HEALTH CARE SERVICES, INC.; CORPORACION
DE SERV. MÉDICOS PRIMARIOS Y PREVENCION DE HATILLO, INC.; COSTA
SALUD, INC., f/k/a Rincon Health Center, Inc.; CENTRO DE
SERVICIOS PRIMARIOS DE SALUD DE PATILLAS, INC.; ATLANTIC MEDICAL
CENTER, INC.; CAMUY HEALTH SERVICES, INC.; CENTRO DE SALUD
FAMILIAR DR. JULIO PALMIERI FERRI, INC.; HOSPITAL GENERAL
CASTAÑAR, INC.; CENTRO DE SALUD DE LARES, INC.,
Plaintiffs, Appellees,
and
RIO GRANDE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC.; TOA ALTA COMPREHENSIVE
URBAN/RURAL ADVANCED HEALTH SERVICES, INC.; HEALTHPROMED
FOUNDATION, INC., f/k/a Dr. Jose S. Belaval, Inc.; MUNICIPALITY
OF SAN JUAN,
Plaintiffs,
v.
COMMONWEALTH OF PUERTO RICO,
Defendant, Appellant,
and
JOHNNY RULLAN; DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES;
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH COMMONWEALTH OF PUERTO RICO; ALEX MICHAEL
AZAR, II, as Secretary of United States Department of Health and
Human Services,
Defendants.

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APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF PUERTO RICO
[Hon. Gustavo A. Gelpí, Jr., U.S. District Judge]
Before
Lynch, Lipez, and Barron,
Circuit Judges.
Carlos Lugo-Fiol, with whom Solicitor General of Puerto Rico
Isaías Sánchez-Báez was on brief, for appellant.
Nicole M. Bacon, with whom James L. Feldesman, Khatereh S.
Ghiladi, and Feldesman Tucker Liefer Fidell LLP were on brief, for
appellees Atlantic Medical Center, Inc., Camuy Health Services,
Inc., Centro de Salud Familiar Dr. Julio Palmieri Ferri, Inc.,
Ciales Primary Health Care Services, Inc., Corporacion de Serv.
Médicos Primarios y Prevención de Hatillo, Inc., Costa Salud, Inc.,
El Centro de Salud de Lares, Inc., El Centro de Servicios Primarios
de Salud de Patillas, Inc., and Hospital General Castañar, Inc.
Robert A. Graham, with whom Iyen A. Acosta and Reno &
Cavanaugh, PLLC were on brief, for appellees HealthproMed, Salud
Integral en la Montaña, Migrant Health Center, COSSMA, Morovis
Community Health Center, NeoMed Center, and Concilio de Salud
Integral de Loiza.
December 4, 2020

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LYNCH, Circuit Judge. This is an appeal by the
Commonwealth from two orders by the district court in the
Commonwealth's long-running litigation with Federally Qualified
Health Centers (FQHCs). We refer to our opinion in the companion
cases -- the consolidated appeals in case Nos. 17-1731 and 17-
1812. For the reasons stated in the companion cases we also lack
jurisdiction to hear this appeal.
In the companion cases, FQHCs appealed from a May 10,
2017 order by the district court. In this case, the Commonwealth
appeals from two 2019 orders (one entered on January 28, 2019, and
another entered on February 26, 2019). The Commonwealth asks us
to allow portions of the district court orders to take effect and
invalidate other portions of the district court orders. For the
reasons stated in this court's opinion in the consolidated cases
we also lack jurisdiction to hear this appeal. We order dismissal
of this appeal.
No costs are awarded.

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