Steered by a federal judge to a courthouse room and to spend "as long as it takes" to work out their legal differences, attorneys for Highmark and UPMC reached a tentative deal Wednesday to end four years of litigation. The two have been involved in contentious antitrust litigation, beginning in 2009. The health care giants agreed Wednesday to have those cases dismissed. The pact, which must still win a board's approval, won't extend Highmark's in-network contract with UPMC beyond 2014, nor is there any guarantee that it will end the advertising war between the nonprofits.
