COMMUNITY HEALTH SYSTEMS INC 10-Q

Item 1. Legal Proceedings From time to time, we receive inquiries or subpoenas from state regulators, state Medicaid Fraud Control units, fiscal intermediaries, CMS, the U.S. Department of Justice and other government entities regarding various Medicare and Medicaid issues. In addition, we are subject to other claims and lawsuits arising in the ordinary course of our business including lawsuits and claims related to billing and collection practices at our hospitals. Based on current knowledge, management does not believe that loss contingencies arising from pending legal, regulatory and governmental matters, including the matters described herein, will have a material adverse effect on the consolidated financial position or liquidity of the Company. However, in light of the inherent uncertainties involved in pending legal, regulatory and governmental matters, some of which are beyond our control, and the very large or indeterminate damages sought in some of these matters, an adverse outcome in one or more of these matters could be material to our results of operations or cash flows for any particular reporting period. Settlements of suits involving Medicare and Medicaid issues routinely require both monetary payments as well as corporate integrity agreements. Additionally, qui tam or “whistleblower” actions initiated under the FCA may be pending but placed under seal by the court to comply with the FCA’s requirements for filing such suits. In September 2014, the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice announced that all qui tam cases will be shared with their Division to determine if a parallel criminal investigation should be opened. The Criminal Division has also frequently stated an intention to pursue corporations in criminal prosecutions, including in its most recent Memorandum dated September 15, 2022. From time to time, we detect issues of non-compliance with federal healthcare laws pertaining to claims submission and reimbursement practices and/or financial relationships with physicians. We avail ourselves of various mechanisms to address potential overpayments arising out of these issues, including repayment of claims, rebilling of claims, and participation in voluntary disclosure protocols offered by CMS and the Office of Inspector General. Participating in voluntary repayments and voluntary disclosure protocols can have the potential for significant settlement obligations or even enforcement action. The following legal proceedings are described in detail because, although certain legal proceedings may not be required to be disclosed in this Part II, Item 1 under SEC rules, due to the nature of the business of the Company, we believe that the following discussion of these matters may provide useful information to security holders. This discussion does not include claims and lawsuits covered by medical professional liability, general liability or employment practices insurance and risk retention programs, none of which claims or lawsuits would in any event be required to be disclosed in this Part II, Item 1 under SEC rules. Government Investigations and Qui Tam Litigation U.S. ex rel Larry Bomar v. Bayfront HMA Medical Center, LLC, et al – On September 14, 2017, our former hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida received a civil investigative demand, or CID, from the United States Department of Justice for information concerning its historic participation in the Florida Low Income Pool Program. The Florida Low Income Pool Program, or LIP, is a funding pool to support healthcare providers that provide uncompensated care to Florida residents who are uninsured or underinsured. The CID sought documentation related to agreements between the hospital and Pinellas County. On June 13, 2019, an additional ten of our affiliated hospitals in Florida received CIDs related to the same subject matter, along with two CIDs addressed to our affiliated management company and the Parent Company. We cooperated fully with the investigation. On September 15, 2021, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida ordered the unsealing of this qui tam complaint, which contains allegations related to the information sought in the CID received on September 14, 2017. Specifically, the relator claims our former hospital in St. Petersburg – Bayfront Medical Center St. Petersburg – along with other, unaffiliated hospitals violated the False Claims Act by allegedly making certain contributions to a non-profit entity for the purpose of receiving supplemental Medicaid funding. The United States has declined to intervene in the case. We filed a motion to dismiss on November 23, 2021, which the District Court granted without prejudice on January 24, 2023. The relator filed a first amended complaint on February 14, 2023, our response to which was filed on February 28, 2023. The District Court granted our motion to dismiss with prejudice on August 21, 2023. The relator filed a notice of appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit. This matter was settled during the three months ended June 30, 2024. In addition, on January 11, 2024, we received a CID from the Department of Justice for documents and information relating to a variety of subjects, including practices and procedures related to utilization review, inpatient admissions and inpatient dialysis at our hospitals. Based upon our review of the CID, the documents we have reviewed and the witnesses we have interviewed, we believe at this time that the CID relates to allegations made by a former employee at one of our hospitals in 2022 and that these allegations were thoroughly and fully investigated to our satisfaction at the time they were originally made. We continue to cooperate fully with this investigation. 41 Commercial Litigation and Other Lawsuits Tower Health, f/k/a Reading Health System, et al v. CHS/Community Health Systems, Inc., et al . This breach of contract action is pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The plaintiffs allege breaches of an asset purchase agreement in connection with the sale of Pottstown Memorial Medical Center. The alleged breaches regard plaintiffs’ contention that the defendants failed to disclose certain conditions related to the physical plant of the hospital, along with various other alleged breaches of the asset purchase agreement. The plaintiffs filed an amended complaint on July 22, 2019. Trial for this matter began May 3, 2021, and closed on October 5, 2021. On September 6, 2022, the District Court issued a Memorandum Opinion denying all of Tower Health’s claims and entering a judgment in favor of the Company. The district Court also awarded the Company its attorneys’ fees and costs. On October 4, 2022, Tower Health filed a Rule 59 motion to alter or amend the District Court’s judgment and a Rule 15 motion to amend its pleadings. The Company has filed oppositions to both motions and has separately moved for its attorney’s fees. On August 11, 2023, the District Court denied Tower Health’s Rule 59 and Rule 15 motions. Tower Health has filed a notice of appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Judicial District. Our motion for attorneys’ fees has been stayed pending the outcome of Tower Health's appeal. We continue to vigorously defend this case. Daniel H. Golden, as Litigation Trustee of the QHC Litigation Trust, and Wilmington Savings Fund Society, FSB, solely in its capacity as indenture trustee v. Community Health Systems, Inc., et al . A complaint in this case was filed on October 25, 2021 in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware against various persons, including the Company, certain subsidiaries of the Company, certain former executive officers of the Company and Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC. Plaintiff Daniel H. Golden is the litigation trustee for a litigation trust, which was formed under the plan of reorganization of Quorum Health Corporation, or QHC, and certain affiliated entities confirmed by order of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware wherein QHC and certain affiliated entities contributed various causes of action to such litigation trust. Plaintiff Wilmington Savings Fund Society is the indenture trustee for certain notes issued by QHC. The complaint seeks damages and other forms of recovery arising out of certain alleged actions taken by the Company and the other defendants in connection with the spin-off of QHC, which was completed on April 29, 2016, and includes claims for unjust enrichment and for avoidance of certain transactions and payments by QHC to the Company connected with the spin-off, including the $1.21 billion special dividend paid by QHC to the Company as part of the spin-off transactions. We filed a motion to dismiss on January 14, 2022, and oral argument on that motion was heard on July 21, 2022. On March 16, 2023, the District Court granted in part and denied in part our motion to dismiss. We continue to vigorously defend this case. Federal Trade Commission v. Novant Health, Inc. and Community Health Systems, Inc. On January 25, 2024, the FTC filed a Complaint for Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunction in the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina seeking to enjoin the consummation of our proposed sale of Lake Norman Regional Medical Center and Davis Regional Medical Center to Novant Health, Inc., or Novant, pursuant to the terms of a definitive agreement dated as of February 28, 2023, as amended, entered into by us with Novant. The FTC alleged, among other things, that the proposed sale of the two hospitals would violate federal antitrust laws. Following a denial by the U.S. District Court of the FTC's request for an injunction on June 5, 2024, the FTC appealed such ruling and sought a motion to temporarily enjoin the consummation of such transactions pending this appeal, which motion was granted by the United States Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals on June 18, 2024. Following such judicial developments, the aforementioned definitive agreement was terminated effective June 21, 2024. Item 1A. Risk F actors The following supplements the Company's risk factors previously disclosed in the 2023 Form 10-K by adding the following risk factor. Except as set forth below, there have been no material changes with regard to the risk factors previously disclosed in the 2023 Form 10-K. Recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions affecting the review of federal agency actions could adversely impact our business and operations. In June 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court issued decisions affecting judicial review of federal agency-related actions that increase judicial scrutiny of agency authority, shift greater responsibility for statutory interpretation to courts, and expand the timeline in which a plaintiff can sue regulators. In particular, in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, the U.S. Supreme Court overruled its prior ruling in Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., which held that when a statute is ambiguous or silent, courts should not substitute their own judgments regarding the actions of those agencies so long as the federal agencies’ interpretation of the enabling federal statute was reasonable (this was commonly known as “Chevron deference”). In Loper Bright, the U.S. Supreme Court, held that courts must instead exercise their independent judgment when deciding whether an agency has acted within its statutory authority, and that courts may not defer to an agency interpretation simply because a statute is ambiguous. The Loper Bright decision, as well as certain other recent decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court, could have significant impacts on government agency regulation, particularly within the heavily-regulated healthcare industry, and may have broad implications for our 42 business. As a result of these decisions, there may be an increase in legal challenges to regulations and guidance issued by federal agencies responsible for regulating various aspects of our business, including HHS and certain of its agencies, such as CMS, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Office of Inspector General. Certain of these potential legal challenges, if successful, could have a material negative impact on our business, including through impacts on Medicare and Medicaid payment and coverage, the availability of coverage and subsidies to our patients under the Affordable Care Act and other policies affecting the size of the uninsured population, the administration of state Medicaid programs, the enforcement and interpretation of fraud and abuse laws, and other legal matters discussed in the risk factor “If we fail to comply with extensive laws and government regulations, including fraud and abuse laws, we could suffer penalties or be required to make significant changes to our operations” included in Part I, Item 1A of the 2023 Form 10-K. In addition to potential changes to regulations and agency guidance as a result of legal challenges, these U.S. Supreme Court decisions may result in increased regulatory uncertainty, inconsistent judicial interpretations, and delays in and other impacts to the agency rulemaking process, any of which could also adversely impact our business and operations. Item 2. Unregistered Sale of Equi ty Securities and Use of Proceeds The following table contains information about our purchases of common stock during the three months ended June 30, 2024. Period Total Number of Shares Purchased (a) Average Price Paid per Share Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs (b) Maximum Number of Shares That May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs (b) April 1, 2024 - April 30, 2024 1,484 $ 3.58 — — May 1, 2024 - May 31, 2024 — — — — June 1, 2024 - June 30, 2024 9,270 3.96 — — Total 10,754 $ 3.91 — — (a) 10,754 shares were withheld to satisfy the payment of tax obligations related to the vesting of restricted stock awards. (b) We had no publicly announced repurchase programs for shares of our common stock during the three months ended June 30, 2024. The ABL Facility and the indentures governing each series of our outstanding notes restrict our subsidiaries from, among other matters, paying dividends and making distributions to us, which thereby limits our ability to pay dividends and/or repurchase stock. As of June 30, 2024, under the most restrictive test in these agreements (and subject to certain exceptions), we have approximately $300 million of capacity to pay permitted dividends and/or repurchase shares of stock or make other restricted payments. Item 3. Defaults Upo n Senior Securities None. Item 4. Mine Saf ety Disclosures Not applicable.