A Tennessee firm that pioneered the outsourcing of hospital emergency medical care now stands accused in courtrooms across the nation of scheming to turn emergency rooms into corporate profit centers through “cartel-like” behavior, including price fixing, legal intimidation, and fraud.
TeamHealth’s accusers say the Knoxville-based corporation is intentionally fleecing patients, shortchanging doctors, deceiving insurers and driving up the cost of emergency health care and – despite paying millions in settlements – won’t stop without judicial intervention.
“TeamHealth designed the complex structure of the TeamHealth System to circumvent state laws that prohibit general business corporations from practicing medicine,” the latest proposed class-action lawsuit filed against the firm states.
“It is now evident from multiple other lawsuits that (TeamHealth) … systematically overbilled (patients and insurers) for years,” the lawsuit continues. “(Overbilling by) upcoding is part of TeamHealth’s regular way of doing business, and absent judicial intervention, TeamHealth will continue its upcoding scheme for as long as it remains profitable.”
In just two years, a Tennessee Lookout investigation shows, TeamHealth has shelled out nearly $100 million to settle thousands of complaints from emergency room patients billed thousands of dollars for treatment of minor ailments, ranging from indigestion ($1,712) to a headache ($1,384) to a spider bite ($1,602).
The firm has ponied up millions...
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