Northwest Hospital Charity Care Act Class Action Settlement

UW Medicine/Northwest d/b/a Northwest Hospital & Medical Center has agreed to settle a class action lawsuit alleging it violated Washington’s Charity Care laws by not affirmatively screening all emergency room patients to determine their eligibility for financial assistance.

If you received emergency medical treatment at Northwest Hospital between June 21, 2010 and July 31, 2017 and you had to pay some or all of your bill, you may be entitled to benefits from the Northwest Hospital class action settlement.

According to the Northwest Hospital class action lawsuit, which was filed by plaintiffs Kamal Amireh and Hugo Cabrera Villalobos in June 2016, the Charity Care Act requires Northwest Hospital to grant free or discounted care to qualifying uninsured or underinsured patients upon determining the patient’s income is below 200 percent of the federal poverty level.

The obligation to provide such care allegedly continues even after the hospital has sent a patient’s account to collections.

Northwest Hospital maintains that it has fully complied with the Charity Care Act and denies all liability. However, it has agreed to settle the class action lawsuit to avoid the burden and expense of ongoing litigation.

In addition to providing reimbursement for payments made or forgiveness for outstanding amounts owed for services provided at Northwest Hospital’s emergency department, Northwest Hospital has also agreed to change its policies to increase awareness about financial assistance for charity-eligible individuals.

The Northwest Hospital class action settlement was preliminarily approved on Oct. 2, 2017.

Class Members who would like to opt out of or object to the Northwest Hospital settlement must do so no later than Jan. 15, 2018.

Who’s Eligible

Class Members of the Northwest Hospital settlement include: “All individuals (or their guardians or representatives) who within the Class Period (June 21, 2010 through July 31, 2017): (a) received emergency care medical treatment in Northwest Hospital’s emergency department; (b) were, at the time of service, ‘indigent’ as defined by WAC 246-453-010(4); (c) were not covered by insurance or any other third-party source of payment, in whole (uninsured) or in part (underinsured), at the time of treatment; and (d) were subject to collections without Northwest Hospital first affirmatively screening them for Charity Care Act eligibility by determining their income and family size.”

Potential Award

Varies.

The Northwest Hospital class action settlement provides for reimbursement of payments made or forgiveness for outstanding amounts owed related to services provided at Northwest Hospital’s emergency department to individuals who were eligible for charity care.

Proof of Purchase

Class Members must provide information about their family’s income, expenses, assets, and other information about their financial situation.

Claim Form

CLICK HERE TO FILE A CLAIM »

NOTE: If you do not qualify for this settlement do NOT file a claim.

Remember: you are submitting your claim under penalty of perjury. You are also harming other eligible Class Members by submitting a fraudulent claim. If you’re unsure if you qualify, please read the FAQ section of the Settlement Administrator’s website to ensure you meet all standards (Top Class Actions is not a Settlement Administrator). If you don’t qualify for this settlement, check out our database of other open class action settlements you may be eligible for.

Claim Form Deadline

N/A. For more information about the claim procedure, contact Northwest Hospital at (206) 668-1800.

Case Name

Kamal Amrieh, et al. v. UW Medicine/Northwest d/b/a Northwest Hospital & Medical Center, Case No. 16-2-14579-5-SEA, in King County Superior Court

Final Hearing

3/20/2018

Settlement Website

www.NWHospitalCharityCareSettlement.com

Claims Administrator

Amireh v. NW Hospital Settlement Administrator
c/o KCC Class Action Services LLC
P.O. Box 404041
Louisville, KY 40233-4041

Class Counsel

Matt Geyman
COLUMBIA LEGAL SERVICES
(800) 542-0794 x149

Defense Counsel

Cori G. Moore
Matthew P. Gordon
PERKINS COIE LLP