Spectrum Health settles federal case with Colorado firm

Spectrum Health settles federal case with Colorado firm

GRAND RAPIDS — Spectrum Health and a Colorado company have reached an agreement to settle a federal lawsuit over use of the MedNow name for telehealth services.

Documents filed last week in federal court in Colorado indicate Spectrum Health settled the case brought by Mednow Clinics LLC, which operates two medical clinics in the Denver area and a telemedicine service similar one run by Spectrum Health.

Terms of the settlement remain confidential, including whether the Grand Rapids health system will continue to use the MedNow name for its telehealth service, according to a Spectrum Health spokesman.

“We are pleased that we have resolved our differences and can maintain our focus to providing high quality, convenient telehealth care for those we serve,” Spectrum Health said in a written statement to MiBiz.

Mednow Clinics filed suit in March against Spectrum Health. The company claimed it began using the name in June 2011 for a medical staffing service and received federal registration in January 2012. The company started using the Mednow name for its medical clinics in 2014 and claims trademark protection through common-law rights and registration with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Mednow Clinics offers telemedicine services by telephone and video, according to federal court documents. The company stated in the original court filings that it planned to extend the telemedicine service to other states, including Nebraska, Wyoming and Kansas.

In a response to the lawsuit filed this month, Spectrum Health argued that its MedNow telehealth service only serves patients in Michigan and noted that it does not promote the service outside the state. Citing the lack of any business interests in Colorado, Spectrum Health claimed that the federal court in Colorado lacked jurisdiction and asked a judge dismiss the case.

Spectrum Health and Mednow Clinics informed the U.S. District Court in Colorado last week they had reached a settlement. Judge Raymond Moore issued an order Aug. 23 dismissing the case without prejudice.