The Minnesota Attorney General's Office is seeking more information about Rochester-based Mayo Clinic's "apparent aggressive bill-collection conduct," the Post Bulletin reported Dec. 15.
The office is seeking more information after the news outlet released a report in November about the hospital suing low-income patients for unpaid medical bills, according to the outlet.
A spokesperson for the attorney general's office told the outlet that the practices detailed in the report are "alarming" and the office has asked Mayo for more information.
The Post Bulletin stated it interviewed 20 patients sued by Mayo for unpaid bills and determined that 14 could have qualified for charity care. All but one were forced to pay their bills in full after they were sued. Most said they were unaware charity care was an option.
A Mayo Clinic spokesperson provided the following statement to Becker's:
"We are responding to the attorney general’s request and welcome the opportunity to provide an accurate and complete picture of our billing and collection practices. We are confident that our response will demonstrate that financial assistance is an important part of Mayo Clinic’s relationship with patients and is shared with them at points before, during and after care is provided."