CNN: Former St. Pete hospital owner sues patients during pandemic
May 17, 2021 - Hospitals owned by Community Health Systems have sued at least 19,000 patients during the Covid-19 pandemic, seeking to collect unpaid medical bills, according to a report from CNN. The CHS hospitals took court action even as other hospitals around the country moved to curtail similar lawsuits during the pandemic, CNN reported. CHS is the former owner of Bayfront Health St. Petersburg. Although CHS sold Bayfront to Orlando Health last year, CHS held onto the rights to claim all bills for medical services during its ownership of the hospital, CNN reported. After the sale, CHS sued more than 400 patients in October, CNN reported, adding that Bayfront was among the most litigious hospital companies in the CHS network, filing more than 800 debt-related lawsuits since mid-March 2020. Orlando Health has in a statement that it has not sued any Bayfront patients over unpaid bills. CHS told CNN that its hospitals only sue a "small fraction" of the patients they treat every year, and that they work to provide assistance for those who can't afford their bills. Read the full CNN report here.