"It was a midwife practice and we were not to intervene in the patient's care unless we were asked," she said.
A point that Dr. Robinson says was forcefully made to her by the head midwife.
"She put her finger right in my face and she said, 'This is a midwife practice, don't you physicians dare try to take care of these patients. … The only time that you're going to see a patient is if I tell you you're going to see a patient,'" Dr. Robinson told Ferrer.
By using midwives, who are paid less than doctors, HealthNet was reaping substantial savings. The lawsuit alleged that Medicaid was billed as though doctors had seen the patients when in fact their involvement had been minimal, if at all.
IU Health, which owns Methodist Hospital, and HealthNet had to pay $18 million back to the state and federal government in connection with billing practices. In litigation and in statements to us they denied any wrongdoing.
Dr. Robinson, still a practicing OB-GYN, was awarded $4.9 million.
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