Gaziano files motion for contempt against Accountable Care Associates

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., March 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Philip Gaziano has filed a motion for contempt in Delaware Chancery Court, demanding Accountable Care Associates (ACA) make immediate payment for its use of the CareScreen™ health data-sharing tools and services from Quality Health Ideas (QHI).

"Since October, ACA has paid less than 4 percent of what it owes QHI even though we have provided ACA with uninterrupted access to CareScreen tools and services," said Gaziano, who is chairman and president of QHI.

The CareScreen tools and services are the sole property of QHI. Gaziano and his wife, Anna Felicitas Thurmayr, who is a physician and has a doctorate of informatics, co-founded QHI, which has been awarded a patent for the technology they developed solely through their own funding.

The motion for contempt against ACA was filed in connection with a lawsuit filed by ACA claiming Gaziano, its former chief executive officer, diverted money and resources away from ACA. "All the money ACA paid to QHI was due to QHI in accordance with contracts drawn up by ACA's attorneys and approved by ACA's board of directors for QHI services including use of the CareScreen tools and services," Gaziano said.

Shortly after new management took over in November, ACA announced job reductions, which have trimmed the workforce from more than 140 to approximately 50. "In 2014, my last year at ACA, the CareScreen tools and services from QHI led to record payments to ACA of $52 million, including record and nationally recognized ACO savings and Managed Care quality and efficiency surpluses. As a result, there was enough money in 2014 for ACA to meet all of its obligations to contracted primary care physicians, vendors and partners."

Gaziano said the financial difficulties ACA is experiencing are the result of decisions implemented by the new management team. "A large part of ACA's income loss was caused by some of the new ACA leadership that had actually moved 20 to 30 percent of ACA's business out of ACA to a competitor. After the change in leadership, ACA lost other contracts."

In December, QHI filed a civil suit in Hampden Superior Court to compel ACA to pay fees for use of CareScreen tools and services. The suit in Hampden was stayed until the Delaware court rules on ACA's suit against Gaziano and QHI.

About Quality Health Ideas

Quality Health Ideas is a health data-sharing technology company that provides CareScreen tools and services, enabling physicians, health plans and hospitals to aggregate and analyze health information so they can improve outcomes for patients, populations, physicians and those governments and employers that want to manage and improve care. www.qhideas.com

SOURCE Quality Health Ideas