The Minnesota attorney general issued a report slamming Accretive Health, a Chicago-based healthcare billing and collection company, for alleged hardball tactics. They included pushing patients to ...pay bills as they sought medical care, even in the emergency room. It was said to have instructed collectors to threaten uncooperative patients with lowered credit scores. Patients' private medical records were also used in collection efforts, the report said. Hospital executives ought to examine their own practices and collection outsourcing. All the "we-care-about-you" advertising can be undone by aggressive tactics. Also, citizens and politicians are unlikely to look kindly on hospitals that employ them while enjoying tax exemptions to serve the community and raking in millions in taxpayer money through Medicaid, Medicare and other programs.
MedPartners regains California network Jaklevic, M C
Modern Healthcare,
1999-May-17, Letnik:
29, Številka:
20
Magazine Article, Trade Publication Article
The state of California returned control of MedPartners Provider Network to its parent company last week but without a definitive agreement about how MedPartners will repay the network's debts. ...MedPartners hailed the return of its contracting network as paving the way for the sale of its physician clinics in California, which employ about 1,000 physicians at 117 sites.
On October 7, 1998, CHAMA, the parent of 4 rural hospitals, filed for federal bankruptcy protection in Wilmington, Delaware. The company now must appease creditors who hold claim to about $8 million ...of unsecured debt and $7.4 million of secured debt. CHAMA recently retained Cain Brothers in New York to advise it on the possible sale of one of more hospitals. The creditors' advisers welcome the move.
Paracelsus Healthcare Corp. executives and healthcare analysts say that the company's latest annual 10K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission shows that the company is proceeding to turn ...itself around. The new company, formed in Aug 1996 from the merger with Champion Healthcare Corp reportedly has put Champion executives in charge of operations. Among other aspects of the company's reorganization is the sale of 10 hospitals.
The health care continuation provisions of COBRA have been a concern for employers since the law was enacted. These authors advise that, for guidance in complying with those provisions, it is ...important to look to court cases.
