Michael Callahan, a partner in the firm’s Health Care Practice, was quoted in an article in the BNA Health Law Reporter on a case in the Arkansas Supreme Court involving tortious interference on the part of Baptist Health, the state’s largest hospital system, because the hospital’s policy to require divestiture in any financial interest held by a new or existing medical staff member would have interfered with an existing physician/patient relationship. Mr. Callahan says the ruling in Baptist Health v. Murphy involved “unique circumstances” since Baptist Health is such a major player in managed care contracting arrangements. “This decision gives attorneys additional ammunition concerning an issue that will continue to arise and be litigated, especially given the pressure under health care reform for new types of provider affiliations—such as accountable care organizations—that will necessarily be looking at physicians’ utilization rates, lengths of patient stays, and other economic factors in addition to outcomes” when making appointment and reappointment decisions, he says. (“Arkansas High Court Hands Physicians Win On Claim in Economic Credentialing Lawsuit,” October 7, 2010)
Chicago
