The Florida Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to take up an appeal by State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance about whether a major Jacksonville hospital needs to turn over information about contracts with health insurers, according to an online docket.
Justices have not set a date for oral arguments in the case, which stems from a ruling by the 1st District Court of Appeal in favor of Shands Jacksonville Medical Center, now known as UF Health Jacksonville.
The case centers on personal-injury protection auto-insurance claims.
State Farm sought copies of contracts that could show the hospital agreeing to discounted reimbursement rates with health insurers, arguing the information was necessary to determine if amounts billed by the hospital for auto-insurance injury claims were reasonable.
A circuit judge sided with State Farm, ordering the hospital to turn over contracts with 37 health insurers.
But a three-judge panel of the appeals court overturned that decision, finding that it exceeded the “extent of discovery permissible” under parts of state law.