Lehigh Valley Hospital—Muhlenberg v. Leavitt

253 F. App'x 190
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Third Circuit
DecidedOctober 30, 2007
DocketNo. 06-4194
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 253 F. App'x 190 (Lehigh Valley Hospital—Muhlenberg v. Leavitt) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lehigh Valley Hospital—Muhlenberg v. Leavitt, 253 F. App'x 190 (3d Cir. 2007).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

CHAGARES, Circuit Judge.

Plaintiff-appellant Lehigh Valley Hospital — Muhlenberg (Lehigh) appeals the District Court’s decision, denying plaintiffs motion for summary judgment, granting the motion for summary judgment in favor of Michael O. Leavitt, Secretary of Health and Human Services, and entering final judgment in favor of defendant-appellee in this action that concerns disputed claims for Medicare reimbursement. The District Court affirmed the determination of the Provider Reimbursement Review Board that plaintiff was not entitled to reimbursement for a loss on the sale of a health care facility because the transaction was not a bona fide sale. Because the District Court granted summary judgment, our review of that decision is plenary, and we review the Provider Reimbursement Review Board’s decision for substantial evidence. We will affirm the District Court’s decision.

I.

Under the Medicare Act, the federal government reimburses health care providers for the reasonable costs of covered services provided to Medicare beneficiaries. 42 U.S.C. § 1395f(b)(l); 42 C.F.R. § 413.9. The regulations issued by the Department of Health and Human Services explain that reimbursable costs include depreciation in value of buildings and equipment used in providing care to patients. 42 C.F.R. § 413.134(a). Providers receive reimbursements yearly for a percentage of the annual depreciation equal to the percentage of the asset used for care of Medicare patients. Id. § 413.134(a). This amount is, however, only an estimate of the asset’s declining value. Id. § 413.134(f)(1). As a result, when a Medicare provider sells a building or equipment, the provider may suffer a loss if the asset is sold for less than its net book value, the historical cost minus depreciation previously paid to the provider. Id. § 413.134(b)(9). If the transaction is a bona fide sale, the provider may seek reimbursement from Medicare for the loss. Id. § 413.134(f)(2)(i).

To obtain reimbursement, providers file annual cost reports with their fiscal intermediary. Id. § 413.20. The fiscal intermediary audits the report and informs the provider of the amount of reimbursement for that year. Id. § 405.1803. The provider can then appeal that determination to the Provider Reimbursement Review Board (the Board or PRRB), which issues a decision. 42 U.S.C. § 1395oo(a). The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) administrator may choose to review the Board decision and issue its own. If CMS declines to review the decision, the Board’s decision becomes the final decision of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, which the provider can challenge in district court. Id. § 1395oo(f)(l).

II.

Because we write only for the benefit of the parties, we will recite the facts briefly. [193]*193Muhlenberg Hospital Center (Muhlenberg or MHC), a nonprofit, 110-bed acute care hospital in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, sold its assets to Lehigh Valley Health Services Organization (LVHSO), pursuant to an agreement dated October 28, 1997. Muhlenberg entered this transaction after hiring a consultant from National Health Ad-visors to research whether the hospital should remain independent or affiliate with another entity. As a small hospital offering limited services, Muhlenberg was concerned that it would be excluded from managed care contracts and eventually forced to close, given the presence of large hospitals in other parts of the Lehigh Valley. The consultant’s main goal was to determine “the best way for [Muhlenberg] to fulfill [its] obligation to the community going forward.” App. 213.

Muhlenberg considered entering into a transaction with a number of nonprofit and for-profit hospitals, but chose Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN), LVHSO’s parent organization, primarily because of LVHN’s ability to improve the quality of care and access to services in the community. Pursuant to the agreement reached between LVHN and Muhlenberg, Muhlenberg sold all of its assets, including cash, to LVHSO and in return, LVHSO paid Muhlenberg costs associated with the transaction and assumed Muhlenberg’s liabilities of $43,336,847. In addition, LVHN agreed to contribute up to $20,000,000 to the Muhlenberg Foundation, to develop and expand the Muhlenberg campus, and to allow five members of Muhlenberg’s Board of Trustees to hold seats on the LVHN Board.

On the date of sale, Muhlenberg’s net book value was $104,408,209, of which $48,748,442 consisted of cash and investments, $13,481,670 of other current assets, such as net patient accounts receivable, and $42,178,097 of other assets, including net property plant and equipment. Deloitte and Touche, hired by Muhlenberg to assist in the calculation of loss, determined that the fair market value of Muhlenberg’s fixed and intangible assets was $62,640,000.

Muhlenberg claimed a loss of $30,344,944 on the sale of its assets and sought to recover excess depreciation in the amount of $4,277,421 for Medicare’s share of the loss. The fiscal intermediary determined that Muhlenberg was not entitled to a loss on sale. Given that the “purchase price was significantly less than the market value of the Provider’s assets,” the intermediary determined that the transaction was not a bona fide sale. App. 1376. The Board affirmed, concluding that Muhlenberg “did not receive the fair market value as consideration for the[ ] assets transferred in the sale transaction,” and the transaction was not a bona fide sale. App. 29. The CMS administrator declined to review the Board’s decision, and it became the final agency decision. On cross motions for summary judgment, the District Court entered judgment in favor of defendant. This appeal followed.

III.

We have jurisdiction to review the District Court’s decision under 28 U.S.C. § 1291, 28 U.S.C. § 1331, and 42 U.S.C. § 1395oo(f)(l). We apply the same standard of review as the District Court, and therefore review its decision de novo. Mercy Home Health v. Leavitt, 436 F.3d 370, 377 (3d Cir.2006) (citing Mercy Catholic Med. Ctr. v. Thompson, 380 F.3d 142, 151 (3d Cir.2004); Robert Wood Johnson Univ. Hosp. v. Thompson, 297 F.3d 273, 280 (3d Cir.2002)). Like the District Court, we can set aside the Secretary’s decision only if it was “arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with law” or if the action [194]*194was “unsupported by substantial evidence.” 5 U.S.C.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Provena Hospitals v. Sebelius
662 F. Supp. 2d 140 (District of Columbia, 2009)
Sewickley Valley Hospital v. Leavitt
567 F. Supp. 2d 761 (W.D. Pennsylvania, 2008)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
253 F. App'x 190, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lehigh-valley-hospitalmuhlenberg-v-leavitt-ca3-2007.