Court Upholds Coventry's Ousting of Critical Doctor

A Texas appellate court last week ruled that Coventry Health Care didn't act improperly when it kicked a doctor out of its workers' compensation health care network for repeatedly recording strong objections to carrier decisions in his patients' medical records. Dr. John C. McConnell, an orthopedic surgeon, detailed his displeasure with the Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. in his treatment notes after the carrier denied authorization for procedures he had recommended for three injured workers. In one file, McConnell wrote that he believed Liberty was acting in bad faith, and he ...