CQC Nonprofit Hospital Scorecard: Washington State Nonprofit Hospitals Earn a #HospitalFail

WASHINGTON – Despite being tax-exempt, nonprofit hospitals across the country are making big money at the expense of their patients. The Washington state Hospital Score Card was created based on recent findings from PatientsRightsAdvocate.org, The New York Times, the Lown Institute and others about troubling practices at some hospitals in Washington, like billing low-income patients for care that should have been provided on a charitable basis. These practices are at odds with what the public expects from charitable organizations, especially since Washington state nonprofit hospitals receive millions of dollars in tax breaks each year.In response to these troubling findings, Consumers for Quality Care (CQC) released the following statement:

“Nonprofit hospitals in the State of Washington are saddling needy patients with big bills when they should actually be providing them with free and reduced care. Coupled with “weak” medical debt consumer protection policies in the state, patients in Washington are definitely getting the short end of the stick. Nonprofit hospitals benefiting from their tax exempt status must be held accountable to the patients they serve.”

Visit CQC’s Nonprofit Hospital Scorecards here.