Embattled medical debt collector to bar media from shareholder meeting

A leading collector of medical debt, under fire from lawmakers for allegedly shaking down patients, will not allow members of the press at its annual meeting for shareholders Wednesday.

The meeting comes a week after reports alleged that Accretive Health embedded employees in hospital staffs to more easily pressure patients to settle bills.

Accretive employees discouraged some people from seeking emergency care altogether, according to one report, which cited an investigation by the Minnesota attorney general's office.

Accretive has consistently denied the allegations as a "flagrant distortion of fact," but saw its shares tumble amid the backlash nonetheless.

The firm went public in 2010 and has held one shareholder meeting since. It was also closed to press, a spokeswoman told the Chicago Tribune.

Two federal lawmakers — Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.) — have expressed concern about Accretive's alleged practices.

"This is corporate greed at its worst, abuse of patients' rights to dignity and privacy, and, I believe, a possible violation of several laws," Stark said in a statement April 26.

He also called on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to investigate.

Franken, meanwhile, wrote to Accretive founder and CEO Mary Tolan demanding answers to a series of questions.

"Did Accretive employees in any way suggest to patients that they would not receive treatment if they could not pay for it or if they could not pay a past debt?" one question read.

Franken asked the firm to respond by Friday, May 4.

According to a Tribune photo caption, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel visited the company's headquarters there on Tuesday and met with Tolan.