St. Luke's Health System has been handed a $10 million bill for a lawsuit the hospital lost, according to the Idaho Statesman.
Here's the background: Saint Alphonsus Health System, Treasure Valley Hospital, and the Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden sued St. Luke's after the hospital purchased Nampa based Saltzer Medial Group in 2012. The plaintiffs said St. Luke's violated federal antitrust laws when it purchased Idaho's largest independent physicians' practice. In January a federal judge agreed saying the buyout would raise health care costs. St. Luke's is appealing the judge's decision.
The Idaho Statesman reports that the plaintiffs say St. Luke's owes them $10 million in legal costs. St. Alphonsus says its bill totals more than $8 million for outside work done by attorneys. The newspaper says those attorneys spent 18,000 hours working on the lawsuit.
Attorney General Lawrence Wasden is looking for $1 million in attorney's fees. Treasure Valley Hospital wants close to half a million in fees and costs.
St. Luke's says the fees are shocking and could have been avoided. The hospital says it was working with the attorney general and the Federal Trade Commission to find a solution when St. Al's and Treasure Valley filed their lawsuit.
