OAKLAND, Calif., July 27 /PRNewswire/ -- On Tuesday, July 27th, http://www.suttercorporatewatch.com/ went live on the internet. The new site, created by caregivers and patient advocates, is designed to serve as a comprehensive resource to assist the public in better monitoring Sutter Health, its history of putting profits before the needs of patients and its impacts on our communities.
The multi-billion dollar Sutter Health, Northern California's largest hospital corporation, has faced sharp criticism from the California Public Employees Retirement System for charging prices that are 80% higher than the statewide average. In addition, federal investigators recently found violations at Sutter Solano Medical Center that posed an "immediate and serious threat to the health and safety of patients."
Sutter Health made $465 million in profits in 2003, a profit margin that is four times higher than the average for hospital corporations across the nation. Although Sutter has "non-profit" tax status, it operates a host of for-profit subsidiaries. Sutter has been decried by the advocacy group Health Access and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for overcharging patients without health insurance and then sending their accounts to aggressive debt collection agencies
The new website provides access to information drawn from a wide variety of sources, including state and federal health agencies, the IRS, court records, and the press. Visitors to the site can link to the class-action lawsuit filed against Sutter for overcharging the uninsured, data summarizing Sutter's skyrocketing profits that are 400% higher than the national average, and the personal stories of patients victimized by Sutter Health's discriminatory pricing and aggressive debt collection practices.
The site also features a "press room" that provides links to a constantly growing compilation of articles from various Northern California media outlets detailing ongoing investigations of Sutter Health, Sutter's history of price gouging, soaring profits, poor treatment of employees, environmental hazards, and patient care problems.
Sutter Corporate Watch is sponsored by Sutter Health Watch, a coalition of health care advocates, hospital workers, patients and family members, the Service Employees International Union, and community supporters who have united to improve the safety and quality of care in California hospitals.
Media Contact
Kathleen Miller, 510-773-7102
SEIU 250CONTACT: Kathleen Miller of SEIU 250, +1-510-773-7102
Web site: http://www.seiu250.org/
