The Illinois firm accused of pressuring Fairview hospital patients to pay even as they waited in emergency rooms pushed back against critics Sunday, accusing Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson of grossly distorting its collection practices.

"The inaccuracies, innuendo and unfounded speculation that have been part of the Minnesota attorney general's recent allegations are extensive," the company said in a statement. "We are working with our advisors to address the allegations."

In a six-volume report earlier this month, Swanson described in detail how patients were harassed and manipulated after Accretive Health introduced sweeping changes at Fairview's seven Twin Cities hospitals and implemented new strategies for collecting revenue.

Late Friday, Fairview severed all ties with Accretive. Fairview officials admitted mistakes that damaged Fairview's reputation and infuriated both patients and hospital employees.

Ryan Davenport, a spokesman for Fairview, said the hospital has created a link on its website to receive complaints or questions from patients about issues raised by Swanson's report or by Accretive's practices in the Twin Cities.

Fairview seeks feedback

Davenport said information gathered from this and other methods will determine what kind of corrective measures Fairview will put in place.

"We have heard from patients in a number of ways," he said. "This is the easiest way for them to weigh in."

Davenport said that hospital officials had seen the Accretive statement and had no comment.

Swanson accused the Chicago-based consulting firm of using heavy-handed, even illegal, tactics to pressure patients for payments before, during and after their hospital stays -- sometimes at their most vulnerable moments.

'Financial counseling'

In her report, Swanson argued that Accretive "takes pride in using collectors in the emergency room." Even parents with babies in the newborn intensive care units were stopped for "financial counseling," Swanson reported.

The actions, Swanson argued, practically amounted to "a threat to withhold medical treatment." She filed a lawsuit on Jan. 19 against Accretive.

Accretive said in a statement Sunday that it's working to address the issues raised by Swanson. The statement made no reference to the Fairview decision last week to end its association with the company.

The firm said Swanson's claims "grossly distort and mischaracterize" the practices and services of the company in collecting money for Fairview.

The suggestions that Accretive puts bedside pressure on patients to pay bills out of pocket are a "flagrant distortion of fact," the company said.

The statement also said the company doesn't deny patients access to medical care, calling the allegation "flatly untrue."

Swanson's office declined to comment on the Accretive statement Sunday.

Patients come forward

Numerous Fairview patients have come forward to describe aggressive billing tactics, however, and Swanson's report included company e-mails discussing tactics aimed at getting patients to pay before procedures were performed.

In the statement, the company especially took exception to this last claim.

"The specific example used by the attorney general to support these allegations -- that a father was approached for payment prior to his child being provided care -- was in fact, the opposite," the company said. "Our review of the records ... show that a family member made a special request to consult about financial arrangements and the expected cost of care in advance of treatment. We accommodated his request, and the father expressed his appreciation for our assistance."

Heron Marquez Estrada • 952-707-9994