Northwell Health and New York Attorney General Letitia James announced today that they have entered into a Best Practices Agreement covering financial assistance and medical debt collection policies. The policies outlined in the Best Practices Agreement are aimed at making health care more affordable and accessible by easing the financial burdens faced by thousands of New Yorkers struggling to pay their medical bills.

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“Northwell has always been committed to delivering the highest quality of care to all patients, regardless of their ability to pay,” said Northwell Health President & CEO Michael Dowling. “At the same time, we recognize that there are New Yorkers who have foregone or delayed necessary medical care because of concerns about out-of-pocket costs. We’re pleased to partner with Attorney General James and her office in developing transparent processes for more patients to get the help they need in paying for medically necessary hospital care.”

Northwell worked closely with the Office of the Attorney General to review and revise Northwell’s pre-existing financial assistance and medical debt collection policies. This process resulted in Northwell increasing financial assistance for eligible hospital patients and adding more safeguards to its collection efforts. Northwell thanks Attorney General James and the attorneys on her team for the time they spent on this matter.

Northwell has long recognized the financial challenges affecting the uninsured and patients with high-deductible health plans. Northwell was one of the first health systems in New York State to establish a robust financial assistance program in 2004, and has continued to strengthen its efforts over the past 20 years. In 2023, Northwell’s financial counselors assisted approximately 26,000 patients to obtain medical insurance. In addition, Northwell provided over $2.5 billion in community benefit in 2022.

Northwell has also raised financial aid eligibility to families with annual household incomes up to five times the federal poverty level ($156,000 for a family of four), hired a medical debt ombudsperson to help patients with medical debts avoid potential legal action and created other layers of protection regarding collection efforts that are pursued as a last resort when patients who Northwell believes can pay their medical bills ignore those bills.

About Northwell Health

Northwell Health is New York State’s largest health care provider and private employer, with 21 hospitals, about 900 outpatient facilities and more than 12,000 affiliated physicians. We care for over two million people annually in the New York metro area and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Our 85,000 employees – 18,900 nurses and 4,900 employed doctors, including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners – are working to change health care for the better. We’re making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. We're training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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