Tenet Hospitals Seek $10.5 Million Legal Fees from Leapfrog

Tenet-owned hospitals have asked a court to order Leapfrog to pay $10.5 million in legal fees. The request follows a judge’s ruling that the nonprofit unfairly deflated the hospitals’ ratings, according to Healthcare Dive.

Fee Request Details

The Tenet-owned hospitals filed the motion for payment of $10.5 million in legal fees. This amount covers costs incurred during the litigation over hospital ratings. The filing came after the court determined Leapfrog had deflated the facilities’ ratings without justification.

Leapfrog Response

Leapfrog stated that requiring payment of the $10.5 million penalty would cast a specter of financial ruin over the nonprofit. The organization described the requested fee award as a threat to its continued operations. Leapfrog made this statement in response to the hospitals’ motion, according to Healthcare Dive.

Court Ruling Background

A judge agreed with the Tenet-owned hospitals that Leapfrog had unfairly deflated their ratings. The decision addressed the methodology and outcomes of the nonprofit’s rating process applied to these facilities. The ruling directly preceded the hospitals’ request for recovery of legal fees.

The dispute centers on the specific application of Leapfrog’s rating system to Tenet facilities. No additional claims or outcomes beyond the fee motion and the judge’s agreement on rating deflation appear in the record, according to Healthcare Dive.