LUBBOCK, Texas — Dr. Howard Beck asked a federal judge on Friday to move his ongoing lawsuit against Covenant Health System and St. Joseph Health System from Lubbock to Amarillo.
Dr. Beck filed a qui tam claim against Covenant on behalf of the United States government in September 2016. Qui tam means he gets a portion of the proceeds if he recovers money on behalf of the government.
In September of this year the United States declined to take the case for itself and instead chose to let Beck pursue allegations that Covenant inflated its prices and overcharged Medicare and Medicaid. Beck also claimed that Covenant used a kickback scheme with its doctors.
Once the federal government stepped aside, Beck was allowed to update his claims. Covenant has not yet filed its side of the story and has a deadline of December 13 to do so.
In Friday’s request to move the case, Beck’s legal team argued “[Covenant and St. Joseph] are also major employers and a significant source of income for a community of less than 400,000 residents, serving a patient population of more than triple that number, and providing ‘$1.2 billion annually for the greater Lubbock region.’”
Beck’s legal team believes that any jury in Lubbock would have a high incentive to not make Covenant pay a large penalty.
“Transfer of this case to Amarillo will be minimally disruptive to all procedural aspects of the case,” Beck’s argument said.
A judge has not ruled on the request.
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