Another Washington hospital sued over charity care
Following up on an earlier lawsuit against Tacoma, Washington’s St. Joseph Medical Center, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson has filed a similar suit against the 110-bed Capital Medical Center in Olympia, claiming it aggressively demanded payment from patients without screening or informing them about charity care.
“Capital’s unlawful collections practices prevented thousands of Washington’s neediest patients from receiving charity care,” Ferguson said according to The Olympian. “I am committed to ensuring that all Washingtonians, regardless of income, have access to affordable care.”
Capital Medical Center, owed by RCCH HealthCare Partners, has allegedly provided less charity care than the regional average between 2012 and 2015. One uninsured and unemployed patient alleged in the suit she wasn’t provided a charity care application, with a hospital administrator reportedly telling staff, “We will not move forward with this patient.”
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John joined TriMed in 2016, focusing on healthcare policy and regulation. After graduating from Columbia College Chicago, he worked at FM News Chicago and Rivet News Radio, and worked on the state government and politics beat for the Illinois Radio Network. Outside of work, you may find him adding to his never-ending graphic novel collection.