TeamHealth won a legal victory over UnitedHealth Group, but the long-simmering dispute between the two companies continues.
A Florida court this month ruled that the nation’s largest insurer must pay $10.7 million to settle allegations that it underpaid TeamHealth’s subsidiary, the Injury Association. Bay-to-Bay region from 2017 to 2020. TeamHealth is expected to receive millions of dollars in additional interest and costs due to prejudice, according to a news release released Thursday. The private equity-backed provider group also has another lawsuit against UnitedHealthcare underway before the same court, similarly for underpayment alleging but covering from February 2020 onwards.
A spokesperson for the insurance company wrote in an email that TeamHealth was awarded a “small portion” of what it sought, with the three-judge panel dismissing claims that UnitedHealthcare held a contract. implied consent and engaged in illicit enrichment. from the real reason it’s no longer participating in our network: It’s expected to pay double or even triple the average we pay other doctors who provide services same,” the spokesperson wrote.
A group of emergency physicians from Tennessee founded TeamHealth in 1979 to provide outsourced emergency services to hospitals. Blackstone, a private equity firm, acquired the company for $6.1 billion in 2017 and grew it into a leading provider of emergency medicine. TeamHealth employs more than 15,000 physicians in more than 2,700 facilities, where TeamHealth controls the payment for its services.
The company has a history with UnitedHealthcare. Insurance company claims data forms the backbone of a landmark New England Journal of Medicine study that found 22% of patient visits to an in-network hospital emergency department their care, they receive a bill for out-of-network care. The study also found that every time TeamHealth took over a hospital’s emergency department, out-of-network fees skyrocketed. Lawmakers often cite this report to justify passing the No Surprise Act.
UnitedHealthcare argued in court that TeamHealth refused to join its network. The insurance company sued TeamHealth in federal court in October 2021, alleging that the medical staffing company tricked them into paying more than $100 million in fraudulent claims. That case is happening.
Meanwhile, TeamHealth often argues that UnitedHealthcare underpays its doctors. The company and its subsidiaries are suing over alleged underpayments in Arizona, Florida, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Texas. A Nevada jury ordered UnitedHealthcare to pay $62.65 million to swap TeamHealth clinicians in a ruling last December.
A subsidiary of TeamHealth sued UnitedHealthcare in federal court in July, alleging the insurer’s use of an algorithm to automatically encrypt down and deny claims in violation of the No Surprise Act. TeamHealth is not claiming damages in this ongoing case but wants an injunction to end UnitedHealthcare’s use of the technology.
Dr Jay Mesrobian, national medical director and clinical director of TeamHealth, said: “United continues to exploit vulnerable patients and refuse to pay providers in full, despite despite already facing sanctions, jury verdicts and settlement payments of about half a billion dollars.” New information is posted.
