Accretive Health says Minnesota Attorney General misled public, acted in bad faith

The Chicago-based company says last week's report by the Minnesota Attorney General did harm, and that the company will seek legal remedies.  

Chicago Tribune: Accretive Health Blasts Minnesota Attorney General Office, Says Agency's Report Has Harmed The Chicago-Based Hospital Billing And Collections Company
Embattled hospital billing and collections company Accretive Health Inc. said Wednesday that it was blindsided by the critical report released last week by Minnesota's attorney general, and it vowed to explore "legal remedies for the damages" resulting from the fallout (Frost, 5/3).

Bloomberg: Accretive Health Lawyer Claims Minnesota Acted In Bad Faith
An Accretive Health Inc. (AH) lawyer accused Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson of negotiating in bad faith before suing the company in January and of disclosing its confidential data in an April 24 report. Accretive shares fell nearly 42 percent one day after Swanson issued her six-part report critical of the Chicago-based company's collections practices. Her federal lawsuit accused Accretive of breaching patient privacy laws. The company on April 30 asked U.S. District Judge Richard H. Kyle in St. Paul, Minnesota, to dismiss the case, calling it "factually baseless and legally indefensible" (Harris, 5/2).

(St. Paul) Pioneer Press: Accretive Health Accuses Minnesota Attorney General Of Misleading Public
Accretive Health is taking another swipe at Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson and asking her to "change course" in her public comments about the Chicago-based firm.  The consulting company, which was the subject of a scathing report last month from Swanson, says the attorney general has negotiated in bad faith and repeatedly misled the public by stressing Accretive Health's role as a debt collector. Most of Accretive Health's work with the Minneapolis-based Fairview health system involved helping the hospital group collect money from insurance companies - not from individual patients, according to a letter from an Accretive Health attorney to Swanson's office that was released Wednesday, May 2 (Snowbeck, 5/2).

Minnesota Public Radio: Accretive Health Accuses AG Of Misleading Public
[Minn. Attorney General Lori] Swanson filed a lawsuit against Accretive Health in January alleging the company broke federal and state privacy and debt collection laws. And last week her office released a six volume "compliance review" of Fairview's relationship with Accretive Health, alleging aggressive collection tactics by Accretive Health employees such as asking emergency room patients for payment at their bedsides (Dunbar, 5/2). 

Modern Healthcare: Lawmakers Request Client List From Accretive
Members of the U.S. House asked Accretive Health's CEO for a list of clients and information on the company's policies on compliance with federal emergency room access, patient privacy and debt collection laws. The far-reaching request comes ahead of a scheduled May 4 congressional briefing by Accretive Health, the Chicago-based healthcare billing and collection company facing questions about its practices after an investigation by Minnesota's attorney general (Evans, 5/2).