Business
Tenet, doctors settle cardiac claims
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Dec. 5, 2005
Tenet Healthcare Corp. and four physicians accused of performing scores of unnecessary cardiac procedures to boost profits at a California hospital have reached an agreement with federal prosecutors to resolve the allegations without any criminal charges being filed.
Under the settlement, the four physicians agreed to pay a total of $32.5 million to victims of the procedures and to government insurance programs, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced Nov. 15. Two of the physicians -- heart surgeon Fidel Realyvasquez, MD, and cardiologist Chae Hyun Moon, MD -- also agreed to never again perform cardiac procedures on Medicare, Medi-Cal TRICARE patients.
The physicians and their lawyers categorize their decision to settle as one driven by a desire to end the investigations, and they continue to deny wrongdoing. Much of the settlement money is coming from the physicians' insurer, which could decide to appeal the settlement.
Tenet, which owned the Redding Medical Center while the procedures were performed there, agreed to pay an additional $5.5 million to resolve outstanding "issues." In August 2003, the Dallas-based hospital chain agreed to pay $54 million to settle federal and state claims stemming from the investigation.
Tenet sold the hospital in July 2004. A few months later, the company established a $395 million settlement fund to resolve civil lawsuits brought by more than 750 former patients and their relatives.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2005/12/05/bibf1205.htm.