A federal court has ruled that three cardiologists who claim they were fired for reporting safety issues and fraudulent billing at a Detroit hospital owned by Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare must arbitrate their retaliation claims, according to Bloomberg Law.
Two of the cardiologists were asked to step down from their leadership positions at Detroit Medical Center last year. They sued the hospital and Tenet, alleging they were ousted from their positions for reporting problems affecting patient care. The third physician allegedly resigned from the staff after DMC's internal investigation into the complaints.
Tenet denied the allegations and filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing the physicians signed agreements that required them to arbitrate any claims arising out of the professional service contracts with the hospital and Tenet.
A federal court in Michigan said the contracts signed by the physicians were enforceable in their retaliation cases in two opinions issued Oct. 9, according to Bloomberg Law.
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