If Envision Healthcare files for bankruptcy, a group of emergency room doctors would seek permission to continue their federal lawsuit that claims the private equity-backed company is violating California’s ban on corporate control of medical practices.
“I anticipate that we would ask the bankruptcy judge to let our case proceed,” said David Millstein, an attorney representing the Milwaukee-based American Academy of Emergency Medicine Physician Group. “Among other things, Envision’s practices violate the law, are continuing, and need to be addressed.”
Still, the future of the lawsuit is uncertain since it’s unclear how a judge might rule.
On May 9, The Wall Street Journal reported that Envision planned to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, possibly as early as this weekend. That would allow the company, based in Nashville, Tennessee, to reduce its debt while reorganizing its business. The Journal said Envision failed to report quarterly financial results by a March 31 deadline and missed an interest payment in April.
Envision spokesperson Aliese Polk declined to comment.
The emergency doctors’ lawsuit does not ask for monetary damages, so the Milwaukee group would presumably not have a financial claim against Envision. Instead, the doctors are seeking a declaration by the court that the company’s alleged use of shell business structures to retain de facto ownership of ER staffing groups is illegal. A trial in San Francisco had been scheduled to start next January, but the date has been pushed back.
The doctors believe that a victory in their case would lead to a ban on that business strategy across California — not just in ERs run by Envision but also by TeamHe …
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If Envision Healthcare files for bankruptcy, a group of emergency room doctors would seek permission to continue their federal lawsuit that claims the private equity-backed company is violating California’s ban on corporate control of medical practices.
“I anticipate that we would ask the bankruptcy judge to let our case proceed,” said David Millstein, an attorney representing the Milwaukee-based American Academy of Emergency Medicine Physician Group. “Among other things, Envision’s practices violate the law, are continuing, and need to be addressed.”
Still, the future of the lawsuit is uncertain since it’s unclear how a judge might rule.
On May 9, The Wall Street Journal reported that Envision planned to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, possibly as early as this weekend. That would allow the company, based in Nashville, Tennessee, to reduce its debt while reorganizing its business. The Journal said Envision failed to report quarterly financial results by a March 31 deadline and missed an interest payment in April.
Envision spokesperson Aliese Polk declined to comment.
The emergency doctors’ lawsuit does not ask for monetary damages, so the Milwaukee group would presumably not have a financial claim against Envision. Instead, the doctors are seeking a declaration by the court that the company’s alleged use of shell business structures to retain de facto ownership of ER staffing groups is illegal. A trial in San Francisco had been scheduled to start next January, but the date has been pushed back.
The doctors believe that a victory in their case would lead to a ban on that business strategy across California — not just in ERs run by Envision but also by TeamHe …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]