TeamHealth
[17][18] In December 2020, TeamHealth CEO Leif Murphy issued the following statement supporting the No Surprises Act, “We fully support the No Surprises Act, as it is unequivocally the right thing for patients by placing the obligation for fair payment for emergency services on the insurer and keeping the patient out of the middle of any payment dispute.”[19] In August 2019, Moody's downgraded TeamHealth's bond rating to B3-CFR and B3-PD probability of default citing its dispute with its largest payor source, United Healthcare.[20] United Healthcare alleged that TeamHealth was responsible for egregious billing for services rendered in emergency rooms across the country and announced "it will terminate approximately two-thirds of its in-network contracts with Team Health between October 15, 2019 until July 1, 2020.[25] According to a November 2019 letter from CEO Leif Murphy, TeamHealth eliminated the practice of pursuing unpaid bills in court and instituted a proactive discount policy that lowers costs for qualifying patients up to 90 to 100 percent.In April 2020, an image of two married TeamHealth nurse anesthetists embracing in complete personal protective equipment (PPE) at Tampa General Hospital went viral amid the early spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.[29] In July 2020, a jury in the federal court for the Eastern District of Arkansas ruled that a Centene health plan had underpaid Southeastern Emergency Physicians, a TeamHealth affiliate, and awarded $9.4 million in damages.[34] The jury agreed on all counts that Molina Healthcare “engaged in unfair and deceptive practices.”[35] In October 2021, TeamHealth began a trial against UnitedHealthcare in the 8th District Court of Clark County, Nevada.[44][45] According to a statement from TeamHealth, “This frivolous lawsuit is a calculated effort to divert attention away from the court case commencing Monday in Las Vegas.”[46] Unsealed documents revealed that United HealthCare provided the anonymous data for Yale University economist Zack Cooper’s 2016 study on surprise medical billing, and made editorial suggestions.[citation needed] The study was widely cited by both national media outlets and members of Congress and has since heavily impacted the Biden administration’s implementation of the “No Surprises Act.”[49][50] Leif M. Murphy became chief executive officer and president in 2016.