Consumers v Concentra, Focus Healthcare Management, F.A. Richard & Associates, Inc., et al.,
Concentra Settles Class Action Lawsuit in Louisiana
Concentra announced that one of its wholly owned subsidiaries, FOCUS Healthcare Management, Inc., has tentatively settled a class action lawsuit in Louisiana.
The case, Gunderson, et al. v. F.A. Richard & Associates, Inc., et al., has been pending since 2004 in the state court of Louisiana, Parish of Calcasieu. The company, along with other preferred provider organizations (PPOs), insurance companies and third-party administrators, had been sued by four Louisiana health care providers alleging that the defendants provided legally insufficient notice under Louisiana law of PPO discounts to which the health care providers had contractually agreed. Similar cases were also filed against insurance carriers, PPOs and third-party administrators in the state court trial system and the workers compensation court system.
In the settlement, FOCUS has agreed to create a $12 million settlement fund and to pay an additional $250,000 to cover actual expenses related to the administration of the settlement of the class action. The parties to the class action have mutually agreed that the settlement represents a compromise of disputed claims and is not an admission of liability for any purposes. The settlement remains subject to final court approval, following notice to class members.
