Business
Tenet hospital back in court
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted June 6, 2005
For the second time, a trial is under way to determine if a Tenet Healthcare Corp. hospital paid kickbacks to doctors to induce referrals.
The retrial of the case involving Alvarado Hospital Medical Center, San Diego, began May 4 in U.S. District Court in San Diego. The original case ended on Feb. 17 with a mistrial.
Prosecutors have alleged that Alvarado and another Tenet subsidiary paid more than $10 million for physician relocation agreements between 1992 and 2002. They claimed a "substantial portion" of the money went to established doctors to induce them to make referrals to Alvarado.
Alvarado's former chief, Barry Weinbaum, is also named as a defendant.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2005/06/06/bibf0606.htm.