Tenet Is Joining Program to Check Quality of Care
Tenet Healthcare Corp., bruised by government investigations into its business practices, said Monday that it would participate in an independent survey designed to help measure the performance of its hospitals.
The Santa Barbara-based company said 100 of its 114 hospitals would take part in the second quality survey by the Leapfrog Group. Leapfrog is a consortium of Fortune 500 companies and other public and private purchasers of health care that together represent more than 34 million American employees, retirees and their dependents. The 14 hospitals not participating are being sold or closed by Tenet to pare debt.
By joining the survey, Tenet agrees to share data on the performance of its hospitals on quality measures in the treatment of heart attacks, congestive heart failure and pneumonia.
“Quality of patient care is our primary focus at Tenet, and we’re committed to taking a leadership position in our industry on this crucial issue,” said Trevor Fetter, Tenet’s president and acting chief executive.
Tenet did not participate in the first survey last year. Since then, the company has come under investigation by at least three federal agencies, including a probe by the Securities and Exchange Commission into its aggressive Medicare billing practices.
The probes triggered the resignation of longtime Tenet CEO Jeffrey Barbakow in May.
Last week, a federal grand jury accused Tenet’s Alvarado Hospital Medical Center in San Diego of paying millions of dollars in illegal kickbacks. Tenet denied wrongdoing.
The company’s stock has fallen about 75% since Oct. 3 but barely budged on the New York Stock Exchange on Monday, up a penny to $12.07.
The Leapfrog Group has 143 members, including IBM Corp., Microsoft Corp., General Motors Corp., major labor unions and regional coalitions such as the Pacific Business Group on Health.
Its efforts are backed by the American Hospital Assn., the Assn. of American Medical Colleges and the Federation of American Hospitals.
