Intermountain Health Care (IHC, in Utah) is another large health care system that has been accused of employing harsh collection tactics against poor patients who don't pay their bills. Earlier this month it announced kinder, gentler collection processes. It is unclear if these were a response to charges heard in the state legislature last year that the system operates like a for-profit company, and threats that it then should be taxed like one. (See news articles here and here.)
Nonetheless, a state legislative tax force will be investigating IHC, prompted by "recurring perceptions of monopolistic practices, ... of heavy-handed collection practices." (News article here.)
Ironically, a tiny news item appearing early in May suggested that this apparently tough-minded organization could not prevent Ralph Jay Hansen, its former retirement account fund director, from embezzling $2.6 million between 1996 and 2004. (See article here.)
No comments:
Post a Comment