Former Ellwood City (Pa.) Medical Center patients say they never received bills that a Texas collection agency is now seeking repayment for, according to the Ellwood City Ledger.
The billing issue, which has affected more than 100 people, is the latest notch in an ongoing timeline of recent financial and clinical woes at the since-closed hospital.
Outgoing ECMC CEO Beverly Annarumo told the publication some patients may not have received their original bill because the hospital couldn't pay the company previously in charge of processing billing, according to the report. Some of the bills date back to August 2018.
Regional Adjustment Bureau, the collection agency that now assists with the hospital's business operations, began trying to recoup outstanding self-pay accounts and balances after insurance in late December. RAB has a partnership with ECMC's parent company, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Americore Health, and claims while patients may not have received bills, the debts are real, according to the Ellwood City Ledger.
ECMC closed Dec. 10 after its emergency room and inpatient services were shuttered by the state Nov. 27. While leaders at Americore said ECMC will reopen in January, Americore and its four affiliated hospitals in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Missouri and Arkansas entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Dec. 30.
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