Mass. Eye and Ear, on the banks of the Charles River.

Partners HealthCare and Massachusetts Eye and Ear Hospital are challenging the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission’s finding  that Partners’ acquisition of the specialty hospital would significantly raise costs for consumers.

The panel concluded that said the purchase would boost prices for Mass. Eye and Ear’s services, increasing spending by $20.8 million to $61.2 million a year. And it said that the costs would be felt in higher health-insurance premiums.

But Partners, the Greater Boston health system behemoth, and Mass. Eye and Ear, in a formal response to those assertions, said the commission overstated potential cost increases and underestimated  Mass. Eye and Ear’s financial problems.

To read a Boston Globe article on this, please hit this link.