Debt Collectors Harass Hospital Patients
Debt collectors are known to engage in abusive collection practices, but now these financial grim reapers are taking their tactics to the next level by harassing patients in hospitals.
Accretive Health — one of the country’s largest medical debt collection companies — is paying the price for harassing patients while they are in the hospital. The company’s employees were sent to two hospitals where they demanded payment from patients before receiving treatment, according to The New York Times. The Minnesota attorney general sued the company claiming they violated state and federal debt collection laws and patient privacy protections.
The debt collection lawsuit alleges that the company used health records of patients to fight for more money on overdue hospital bills.
The attorney general’s office released hundreds of internal company documents revealing the increasing trend of aggressive medical debt-collection practices plaguing hospital patients across the country. Abusive debt collection topped a list released by New York State’s Attorney General on consumer fraud complaints.
If you or a loved one has been harassed by an abusive debt collector, contact Sokolove Law for a free legal consultation and to find out if you have grounds to pursue legal action. Call us today at (877) 490-6520.
http://www.sokolovelaw.com/legal-help/consumer-fraud?utm_source=Cision&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Brand&utm_content=Sokblog
Tags: