Northwell facilities in Westchester covered by agreement with AG on financial assistance, debt collection

An agreement reached by New York State Attorney General Letitia James and Northwell Health that limits debt collection practices against uninsured and under-Insured New Yorkers and improves and expands access to financial assistance will affect Northwell facilities throughout New York including clinics and hospitals in Westchester.

The Best Practices Agreement changes some of what Northwell has been doing when it comes to collection and providing access to financial assistance. As a result of the agreement, uninsured or under-insured patients earning twice the federal poverty level or less will receive free medical care. Patients earning between three and five times the federal poverty level will receive discounted medical services based on Medicaid or Medicare rates. To limit unnecessary medical debt collection, Northwell will dedicate a Medical Debt Ombudsperson to review accounts before litigation is started.

Northwell has agreed to keep the practices specified in the agreement in place for at least five years and to provide annual reports to the Attorney General’s Office on the financial assistance it is offering.

“Northwell has always been committed to delivering the highest quality of care to all patients, regardless of their ability to pay,” said Northwell Health President and CEO Michael Dowling. “At the same time, we recognize that there are New Yorkers who have foregone or delayed necessary medical care because of concerns about out-of-pocket costs. We’re pleased to partner with Attorney General James and her office in developing transparent processes for more patients to get the help they need in paying for medically necessary hospital care.”

“No one should face the choice between putting food on the table or receiving medical care,” James said. “Too many New Yorkers delay necessary health care appointments because costs are too high, or end up saddled with debt after receiving emergency care. This agreement will provide critical financial assistance to millions of New Yorkers receiving medical care at Northwell facilities and ease financial worries for many patients concerned about paying their medical bills.”

The agreement applies to all 21 Northwell hospitals as well as 56 Northwell clinics. The Northwell facilities in Westchester covered under the agreement include clinics in the Hudson Valley include: Northern Westchester Hospital at Chappaqua Crossing in Chappaqua; Northern Westchester Hospital at Yorktown Imaging in Yorktown; Alcohol Treatment Services in Ossining; Phelps Psychiatric Clinic in Briarcliff; Phelps at Croton in Croton-on-Hudson; Imaging Extension Clinic in Dobbs Ferry; Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco; and Phelps Hospital in Sleepy Hollow.

Northwell said it has long recognized the financial challenges affecting the uninsured and patients with high-deductible health plans and worked closely with the Office of the Attorney General to review and revise its preexisting financial assistance and medical debt collection policies.

In April, New York James announced that her office secured from Northwell $650,000 in penalties and more than $400,000 in refunds for  people who had been improperly charged for Covid-19 testing. James found that Northwell Health deceptively advertised three of its emergency departments in New York City and on Long Island as Covid-19 testing sites where New Yorkers could simply get a Covid-19 test, but then billed patients for emergency room visits.