Surgery Center Owner Dr. Alan Moelleken Accuses Cottage Health System of Stifling Competition, Causing $5M in Damages

Spine surgeon Alan Moelleken, MD, is involved in an anti-trust lawsuit against Cottage Health System and Neurosurgical Associates of Santa Barbara, in which he accuses the facilities of stifling competition and causing him $5 million in damages, according to a Noozhawk report.

Advertisement

According to the report, Dr. Moelleken alleges he has asked Cottage Health System to create a spine-related on-call list or add him to the neurosurgeon list to give him access to the system’s emergency room and trauma patients. He alleges the system has “consistently, repetitively denied” and that the health system is “using its leverage as the only hospital in town to do what is not right.”

Dr. Moelleken owns OSF Medical Group of California and Carillo Surgery Center, an ambulatory surgery center with two operating rooms. According to the report, the surgery center has increased in revenues every year since its opening in 2005.

Dr. Moelleken is scheduled to take the stand Tuesday afternoon in Santa Barbara County Superior Court.

Related Articles on Coding, Billing & Collections:
Survey: Most Small Business Owners About Rising Healthcare Costs
Study: Payment Varies Widely for Common Surgical Procedures
Texas Physicians Continue to Opt Out of Medicare

Advertisement

Next Up in ASC Transactions & Valuation Issues

Advertisement

Comments are closed.