After sale, no malpractice insurance at Forum, attorney warns

YOUNGSTOWN

Community Health Systems, a prospective second bidder for bankrupt Forum Health, has met with

Forum’s unions and wants to meet with them again next week.

Ardent Health Services, which has offered to buy

Forum Health for $69.8 million, and the unions negotiated memorandums of

understanding before Ardent filed its offer with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

Forum Health filed for Chapter 11 under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in March 2009.

Community Health Systems, which has not offered to buy Forum, met for about an hour with leaders of the Ohio Nurses Association on Thursday but offered little information, union officials said.

In other action, McDonald Hopkins, one of the legal firms representing Forum, has sent letters to people who have been Forum patients within the past two years notifying them that the health-care system is to be sold and that the proposed purchaser, Ardent, will not be responsible for certain claims against Forum, including malpractice claims.

After the sale, according to the letter, Forum likely will not have insurance for malpractice claims.

For the complete story, read Saturday's Vindicator or Vindy.com.