A group of seven Virginia hospitals and 33 Tennessee hospitals has filed a lawsuit against the opioid crisis' major players, including manufacturers, distributors, and retailers.  The lawsuit accuses these companies of “negligence, fraud, and civil conspiracy,” and indicates the hospitals have been “incurred massive costs by providing uncompensated care as a result of opioid-related conditions.”  The more than 300-page complaint claims the pharmaceutical companies downplayed the risk of opioid addiction and deceptively marketed the drugs.Addiction Campuses’ Brian Sullivan said, “Most of the people who do overdose don’t have insurance or the financial ability to cover the costs of going into the hospital and needing to seek treatment and going through detox sometimes, and hospitals, unfortunately, bare a large brunt of that cost.”  He added this could be a way for industry players to share in the substantial cost of the crisis.

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The hospitals involved in the lawsuit are as follows:Bristol Regional Medical CenterDickenson Community Hospital, Clintwood, VAFranklin Woods Community Hospital, Johnson CityGreeneville Community Hospital, Greeneville, TNHancock County Hospital, SneedvilleHawkins County Community Hospital, RogersvilleHenderson Community Hospital, LexingtonHolston Valley Medical Center, KingsportIndian Path Community Hospital, KingsportJohnson City Medical Center, Johnson CityJohnson County Community Hospital, Mountain CityJohnston Memorial Hospital, Abingdon, VALonesome Pine Hospital, Big Stone Gap, VAMountain View Medical Center, Norton, VANorton Community Hospital, Norton, VANiswonger Children’s Hospital, Johnson CityRussell County Hospital, Lebanon, VASaint Francis Hospital, BartlettSaint Francis Hospital, MemphisSmyth County Community Hospital, Marion, VASt. Thomas Hospital for Specialty Surgery, NashvilleSycamore Shoals Hospital, ElizabethtonTennova Healthcare-ClarksvilleTennova Healthcare-ClevelandTennova Healthcare-Harton, TullahomaTennova Healthcare, Jefferson Memorial Hospital, Jefferson CityTennova Healthcare, LaFollette Medical Center, LaFolletteTennova Healthcare-LebanonTennova Healthcare, Newport Medical Center, NewportTennova Healthcare-North Knoxville and Turkey CreekTennova Healthcare-ShelbyvilleUnicoi County Hospital, ErwinWoodridge Hospital, Johnson CityAccording to the announcement, officials say they have “received little to no reimbursement for the services they have provided.”The decision for Tennessee and Virginia hospitals to file suit follows close behind a group of nearly three dozen Florida hospitals that filed a civil lawsuit against opioid manufacturers, distributors, and retailers.  This complaint was filed in the Circuit Court of the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit in and for Broward County, Florida, alleging “ negligence, fraud and civil conspiracy.”William R. Scherer, attorney with Conrad & Scherer, L.L.P., who is representing the Florida hospitals believes they are major players for change. “No party is better positioned, given the appropriate financial resources, to lead us out of this public health crisis than our hospitals,  They have measurable damages and must be active participants in any opioid settlement discussions.”In August, the American Hospital Association asked a judge presiding over one of the opioid cases “to ensure that needed funds are directed to the hospitals and health systems that are on the forefront of caring for the victims of this epidemic.  With additional resources, hospitals can broaden access to post-overdose treatment in emergency departments, increase training of physicians to treat substance use disorders, cover the costs of lengthy stays and follow-up care for infants with neonatal abstinence disorder, and invest in electronic health information systems to improve coordinated care and prevent overprescribing.”Sources:Addicted: Hospitals in Tennessee, Virginia file lawsuit against opioid manufacturersTennessee, Virginia hospitals file opioid lawsuitFlorida Hospitals File Lawsuit Against Opioid Manufacturers and Distributors