Profession

Class-action trial date pushed back

NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted June 7, 2004

Print  |   Email  |   Respond  |   Reprints  |   Like Facebook  |   Share Twitter  |   Tweet Linkedin

Physician class-action lawsuits against the nation's largest HMOs are now set to go to trial March 14, 2005. The federal judge in Florida overseeing the litigation pushed back the trial that previously was set to begin in September.

The two sides are scheduled to wrap up fact discovery by June 1, and expert reports are due June 28.

Medical societies and individual physicians sued health plans in federal courts nationwide, accusing them of unfairly reimbursing physicians for the services they provide to the plans' subscribers. The lawsuits were all sent to Judge Federico A. Moreno at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Miami.

Aetna Inc. and CIGNA HealthCare have settled the lawsuits physicians filed against them. Moreno is still overseeing similar class-action lawsuits against Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Coventry Health Care Inc., Humana Inc., Prudential Insurance Co. of America, United Healthcare Inc. and WellPoint Health Networks Inc. Insurers are still waiting for an 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling on whether the lawsuits will go forward as class actions.

Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/06/07/prbf0607.htm.

Back to top


ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISE HERE


Featured
Read story

Confronting bias against obese patients

Medical educators are starting to raise awareness about how weight-related stigma can impair patient-physician communication and the treatment of obesity. Read story


Read story

Goodbye

American Medical News is ceasing publication after 55 years of serving physicians by keeping them informed of their rapidly changing profession. Read story


Read story

Policing medical practice employees after work

Doctors can try to regulate staff actions outside the office, but they must watch what they try to stamp out and how they do it. Read story


Read story

Diabetes prevention: Set on a course for lifestyle change

The YMCA's evidence-based program is helping prediabetic patients eat right, get active and lose weight. Read story


Read story

Medicaid's muddled preventive care picture

The health system reform law promises no-cost coverage of a lengthy list of screenings and other prevention services, but some beneficiaries still might miss out. Read story


Read story

How to get tax breaks for your medical practice

Federal, state and local governments offer doctors incentives because practices are recognized as economic engines. But physicians must know how and where to find them. Read story


Read story

Advance pay ACOs: A down payment on Medicare's future

Accountable care organizations that pay doctors up-front bring practice improvements, but it's unclear yet if program actuaries will see a return on investment. Read story


Read story

Physician liability: Your team, your legal risk

When health care team members drop the ball, it's often doctors who end up in court. How can physicians improve such care and avoid risks? Read story

  • Stay informed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • LinkedIn