Corporate Valuation of Profit over People by “Nonprofit” Hospitals Puts Patient Privacy at Risk
Caregivers from Fairview and North Memorial Medical Center were shocked to learn that private information on nearly 17,000 patients was potentially compromised when a laptop belonging to an Accretive Health Inc., a debt collections and revenue cycle subcontractor, was stolen. The data loss has now earned Fairview and North Memorial a spot on the federal government’s “Wall of Shame” for failing to meet patient privacy standards.
“It really disturbs me that Fairview and North Memorial executives would apparently put patient privacy at risk in their corporate drive for profits at what is supposed to be a non-profit hospital that cares for the community,” said Maxine Maxon, a nursing assistant at Fairview Riverside.
“Patient privacy and quality care is my number one concern when I’m at the bedside. By hiring a debt collections subcontractor that already has been sued 10 times in the last year for alleged unfair collections practices, Fairview and North Memorial have put corporate values ahead of their mission as nonprofit community hospitals,” said Trina Ross, a nursing assistant at North Memorial Medical Center.
