Dive Brief:
- El Paso Children's Hospital and University Medical Center mediation over monies owed to UMC for services have broken down and they will move into litigation so a judge can make the final decision on how much EPCH owes.
- EPCH filed for bankruptcy in May and UMC claims $90 million is owed, with $33,000 more accruing every day.
- "It is evident that at this point there are serious and substantial differences between the two parties," EPCH CEO Mark Herbers said in a statement.
Dive Insight:
"We prepared for these discussions with the absolute best hopes that this time we would be able to find common ground that our fellow El Paso citizens want...We will continue to respond and prepare for the next steps in this process, in tandem with our legal counsel," UMC Board of Managers chair Steve DeGroat said.
El Paso County Judge Veronica Escobar released a statement saying that "Although mediation was unsuccessful, we will move forward to do everything possible to protect the taxpayer's investment."
It's not known when litigation will start or how long it will take for a decision to be made.