Some patients who received care at Columbus-based OhioHealth facilities and their attorneys are alleging the system uses aggressive collection practices that go against the values the system claims to have, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
Scott Smith, an attorney who is representing an OhioHealth patient sued by the system for unpaid bills, told The Dispatch that in his 32 years of practice he has "never seen such an aggressive approach to recover dollar-for-dollar amounts for medical charges."
His views are the same as several other attorneys who represent clients injured in traffic crashes in central Ohio who claim OhioHealth "is much more aggressive than other local systems" in its collection efforts, according to the report.
OhioHealth has denied the allegations. "We make every effort to resolve bills without legal action, and we don't rush to sue," OhioHealth spokesman Mark Hopkins said in a statement given to The Dispatch. "At OhioHealth, we treat every patient with dignity, compassion and respect, and our billing and collection practices reflect those same values."
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