Doctors claim Prime hospital kept them from patients

Christina JewettMonica Lam/California WatchA dozen Southern California doctors are accusing the leadership of a Prime Healthcare Services hospital of refusing to notify them about their patients because they won’t engage in profit-driven practices, according to a request for a restraining order filed this week.The San Bernardino County physician group suing Chino Valley Medical Center and its director say it has been asked to needlessly admit patients from the emergency room into hospital beds,according to the lawsuit filed Wednesday in San Bernardino County Superior Court. The group’s doctors also have been urged to document patient conditions as more complex or severe than they are, the filing says.The doctors suing the hospital maintain that both practices are meant to drive up hospital bills. The result of their refusal to go along, they say, is that they’re not receiving what they characterize as legally mandated notifications when their patients land in the hospital. The physicians have asked the judge to lift the alleged freeze in communication, saying it puts fragile patients in danger. A hearing is set for April 19 on the temporary restraining order.Prime spokesman Edward Barrerareleased a statement Thursday saying Chino Valley expects to prevail and the lawsuit“has no merit and is a regurgitation of unproven allegations voiced by critics over the past three years.” The statement says Chino Valley routinely contacts primary car...
Source: http://californiawatch.org/topic/health-and-welfare/feed - Category: American Health Authors: Tags: Health and Welfare Daily Report Decoding Prime Prime Healthcare Source Type: news