Lawyer for dialysis patients plans appeal

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Lawyer for dialysis patients plans appeal

By Shelia M. Poole

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
6:18 p.m. Tuesday, January 5, 2010

The attorney representing dialysis patients once treated at Grady Memorial Hospital plans to ask the Georgia Supreme Court to reinstate the complaint he filed against Grady.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville recently dismissed the complaint; attorney Lindsay Jones filed his notice of appeal on Tuesday.

The hospital, citing financial losses, closed its dialysis clinic in October.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of about 50 plaintiffs, most of whom are illegal immigrants. Grady has been paying for the patients to get treatment at Fresenius, an outside provider. The hospital, however, has said it can't pay for such services forever and has urged patients to find other long-term care solutions.

Grady spokesman Matt Gove declined to comment on the pending litigation.

Grady's contract with  Fresenius runs until September. The deadline for treatment has been extended several times. Most recently, Grady said it would pay for treatment until Feb. 3. After that,  care  will be decided by Grady on a case-by-case basis, said Gove in a previous interview.

He said it is possible some patients will still be with Fresenius until September.

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http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/lawyer-for-dialysis-patients-267758.html