Lawsuits by NC hospital chain drop sharply

The Charlotte Observer, October 22, 2012

In what some patient advocates call a move in the right direction, the nonprofit system that owns Carolinas Medical Center and more than 30 other hospitals is suing significantly fewer patients than it did last year, new data shows. The average number of lawsuits filed per month by Carolinas HealthCare System has dropped by more than 20 percent since last year, and more than 30 percent since 2010, according to state courts data. The change comes months after an investigation by the Observer and The News & Observer of Raleigh, which showed that N.C. hospitals are suing thousands of patients to collect on bills.