ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Al Franken said Wednesday he plans to pursue legislation or federal regulations requiring encryption of all laptops containing private medical information, after presiding over a hearing on aggressive debt collection practices in several Minnesota hospitals.
Franken questioned executives from Chicago-based Accretive Health Inc. and Minneapolis-based Fairview Health Services about Accretive's work to maximize revenue for Fairview and North Memorial Health Care. The issue came to light when an unencrypted laptop containing private information for 23,500 patients was stolen from an Accretive employee's car.
After a wide-ranging investigation, Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson sued Accretive in January for alleged violations of health privacy, debt collection and consumer protection laws. Swanson also relayed stories of patients being pressured to pay while waiting for medical care, sometimes in emergency rooms.
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