Tenet Hospitals Sue Kaiser Over Unpaid Bills
Approximately 20 hospitals owned or formerly owned by Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare on Dec. 29, 2006, filed suit against Kaiser Permanente over $16 million in unpaid medical bills, the Orange County Register reports.
The suit, filed in Orange County Superior Court, alleges that Kaiser from 2000 to 2004 paid lower rates than those negotiated in a contract. In several cases, Tenet alleged that Kaiser refused to pay bills altogether because Kaiser said its member's medical condition was not life-threatening.
Tenet officials said the disputed contracts were replaced in 2004.
Kaiser spokesperson Jim Anderson said attorneys had not been served with the suit and declined to comment (Perkes, Orange County Register, 1/4).