Topeka, Kan.-based Stormont Vail Health and Kansas Legal Services have reached an agreement to resolve 11 medical debt lawsuits filed by the health system.
The collection cases spanned five Kansas counties and sought payment for outstanding medical bills from patients treated at Stormont Vail facilities, according to a July 8 news release. Kansas Legal Services represents the individuals named in the lawsuits.
Under the agreement, all 11 patients applied and were qualified for financial assistance under the system’s financial assistance policy, including discounted care. Patients whose wages were garnished will have those funds returned, and the lawsuits will be dismissed with prejudice.
Timothy Shultz, vice president, deputy general counsel and chief compliance officer at Stormont Vail, said the system’s financial navigators help patients understand billing, insurance and assistance options, and that Stormont Vail provides financial assistance whenever it becomes aware a patient needs it.
Stormont Vail provides tens of millions of dollars in financial assistance annually through a program available to patients unable to pay for emergency or medically necessary care, Mr. Shultz said in the release.
“Kansas Legal Services appreciates the willingness of Stormont Vail Health to work with our clients and provide them greater understanding of their financial assistance program,” the organization’s executive director Matthew Keenan said in the release.
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