MINNEAPOLIS — Editor's note: The video above first aired in June 2023.
Minneapolis-based Allina Health announced it is ending a controversial billing practice that garnered national attention following a New York Times investigation published earlier this summer.
The Times' report alleged that Allina instructed staff to cancel or lockout non-emergency appointments for patients who have reached $4,500 of unpaid medical debt, even though the health system reports $4 billion in annual revenue and avoids hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes as a nonprofit hospital.
In June, Allina announced it was pausing the practice while the healthcare system re-examined its policies.
On Wednesday, Allina Health said in part in a statement that they "determined there are opportunities to engage our clinical teams and technology differently to provide financial assistance resources for patients who need this support. We will formally transition away from our policy that interrupted the scheduling of non-emergency, outpatient clinic care."
The announcement comes hours before Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is set to hold a public listening session in St. Paul for people to share their experiences with medical billing. Ellison told KARE 11 in June that he read the Times story "with great concern" and was "reviewing it closely."
“I’m glad Allina is committed to moving away from this policy and I look forward to the public conversation about it tonight," Ellison told KARE 11 in a statement Wednesday. "This announcement does not change our desire to hear from the public on this issue, and it does not change the scope of our investigation, which focuses both on Allina's past conduct and future practices.”
A second listening session is scheduled for Sept. 13 in Rochester.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist:
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.