County settles lawsuit over dialysis payments

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County settles lawsuit over dialysis payments

By Bill Vidonic, Times Staff
Published: Friday, July 10, 2009 11:41 PM EDT

BEAVER — Beaver County Commissioners have agreed to pay $150,000 to settle a lawsuit over payments for dialysis treatments for a county jail inmate.

The three county commissioners Thursday approved a resolution to pay the money to Western Pennsylvania Medical Associates. That company had sued the county and Southern Health Partners last December, saying it was owed nearly $224,000 for the inmate’s treatments. Southern Health provides medical services at the jail.

In March 2007, Larry H. Bradley, of Midland, was sentenced to between two and four years in jail for drug possession. While incarcerated, Bradley, 38, was diagnosed with a form of kidney failure.

Beginning in June 2007, Bradley began receiving dialysis treatments at Liberty Dialysis in Hopewell Township, which is owned by Medical Associates. The county paid for Bradley’s treatment through early September 2007; the amount that it paid wasn’t contained in court records.

On Sept. 6, 2007, Southern Health told Medical Associates it would no longer pay for Bradley’s treatment, basing that decision on a medical furlough signed by Beaver County Judge Richard Mancini on Sept. 4, 2007.

Medical Associates contended that furlough didn’t release the county or Southern Health from continuing to pay for Bradley’s treatment.

In May 2008, Mancini furloughed the remainder of Bradley’s county sentence, saying he could serve about six months on house arrest. County officials said that meant the county could receive government assistance to pay for his treatments, and release the county from any responsibility.

According to records in the Beaver County prothonotary’s office, the lawsuit was marked settled and discontinued nearly two weeks ago, though the commissioners did not pass their resolution until Thursday.

Beaver County Commission Chairman Tony Amadio said Friday that the county is responsible to pay for an inmate’s medical care, so agreed to the settlement. He said the money would come out of the county’s general fund.

Amadio added that he didn’t believe Southern Health paid any money.

A representative for Southern Health wasn’t available for comment Friday, as well as attorneys representing Medical Associates.

http://www.timesonline.com/articles/2009/07/10/news/doc4a57e54642c8a490592235.txt