Atlanta-based Emory drops suit to block Gwinnett Medical's heart-surgery program

Emory University Hospital dropped its lawsuit to block Gwinnett Medical Center's plan to perform open-heart surgery, ending a nearly two-year fight over the program. Emory and Piedmont Hospital had battled the Gwinnett proposal since 2008, saying that it would flood the metro Atlanta market and dilute the quality of open-heart care. Piedmont dropped its lawsuit earlier in September.