Grassley, the Finance Committee's
chairman and a powerful advocate of whistle-blowers in the past, said
in his letter that he is seeking Tenet documents going back to 1990,
as well as all records of the $54 million settlement, including communications
from the Justice Department, the FBI and other government agencies.
Tenet spokesman Steven Campanini said Tuesday the corporation is cooperating with
the Grassley probe. The settlement between the Justice Department
and Tenet was announced last month, with the hospital chain admitting
no wrongdoing in connection with the Redding Medical Center case.
Administrators at the hospital are
facing investigations into whether hundreds of unnecessary heart procedures
were performed there to help boost the medical center's profits. While
a federal grand jury in Sacramento is probing the case, no one has been charged to date.
Allegations from Campbell and others
helped spur an FBI raid on the hospital last October, and prosecutors
are seeking information on whether unnecessary heart procedures were
paid for through Medicare and Medi-Cal funds.
Campbell's attorney has filed an objection to the government's
settlement with Tenet, saying it is far too low and that a proper
settlement could easily have exceeded $500 million.
Federal officials deny that, saying
the settlement, which they claim is the highest ever reached against
a single hospital in such a case, brought the government more money
than it paid out for the procedures.
Campbell is one of two individuals who filed secret lawsuits
last year seeking to be designated as whistle-blowers who tipped federal
investigators to the alleged misdeeds. Generally, only the first person
to file such a suit may be entitled to recoup up to 30 percent of
any settlement the government later recovers.
Campbell's suit was dismissed Aug. 1 because he had filed it
three days after the first suit, which was submitted by Redding-area
priest John Corapi, who had been diagnosed
at the medical center but later sought other medical opinions.
Corapi's suit is still pending and secret, although details of
it have been disclosed previously in The Bee.
Campbell's attorney, David Rude, has asked a federal judge in
Sacramento to hold a public hearing into how the settlement amount
was reached. Federal prosecutors are expected to file their response
opposing the hearing on Sept. 25.
In addition, Rude confirmed Tuesday
that Campbell already has been contacted by Senate investigators about
the probe by Grassley, who referred to Tenet in his letter as a company
with a "sordid corporate history."
Grassley has asked Tenet for all records
of communications between Campbell and Tenet administrators "that
raise questions or concerns regarding Tenet's cardiac or related programs,
including, but not limited to, the necessity for cardiac procedures
and surgeries."
Campbell claims in his suit that he tried for years to get Redding Medical Center officials to listen to his concerns about unnecessary
heart procedures being conducted at the hospital, but that he was
ignored.
In his letter to Tenet, Grassley left
no question of his displeasure that the Justice Department agreed
to a settlement that did not require an admission of guilt.
"It is quite troubling that Tenet
did not admit liability or any wrongdoing under the terms of this
latest settlement with the government," Grassley wrote.