CLLA NEWSWIRE | FROM THE CLLA NEWSWIRE

Medical Collection Firm Under Fire For Practices Forms Panel To Create New Patient Interaction Standards

David Goch, Washington Legislative Counsel | May 22, 2012

Accretive Health, the hospital debt collection firm accused of violating patient privacy, said last week that it formed an independent panel to set new standards for interacting with patients, as it continues to respond to questions from congressional Democrats -- and a lawsuit from the state of Minnesota over potentially unlawful collection practices.

The company said a report from the Minnesota attorney general had taken e-mails out of context, adding that it believed it was in compliance with the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and HIPAA.

The independent panel set up by Accretive will be chaired by Michael O. Leavitt, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services from 2005 to 2009. Other members are:

• Thomas A. Daschle (D), a former U.S. Senate majority leader from South Dakota;
• Bill Frist (R), a former U.S. Senate majority leader from Tennessee;
• Jamie Gorelick, a former U.S. deputy attorney general;
• Mark B. McClellan, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services from 2004 to 2006
• Donna E. Shalala, U.S. Health and Human Services secretary from 1993 to 2001. 

The panel will be responsible for selecting an independent, nonprofit standards development organization (SDO), which will bring together providers, patient advocates and other interested stakeholders to establish new standards.

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