Logan Reid
Do No Harm is a documentary film directed by Rebecca Schanberg and produced by Danny Alpert. It tells the story of two reluctant whistleblowers, surgeon Dr. John Bagnato and accountant Charles Rehberg, who expose the corruption and unethical practices of Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, a non-profit hospital in Albany, Georgia. The film reveals how the hospital was overcharging uninsured patients, using aggressive collection tactics, and stashing millions in offshore bank accounts. The whistleblowers faced threats, legal repercussions, and intimidation as a result of their actions. The film sparked engagement campaigns and brought attention to the issue of hospital corruption and the plight of the uninsured in the United States.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Film Name | Do No Harm |
| Year | 2009 |
| Film Director | Rebecca Schanberg |
| Film Producer | Rebecca Schanberg |
| Executive Director | Danny Alpert |
| Film Type | Documentary |
| Story | Two reluctant whistleblowers expose hospital corruption and the plight of the uninsured |
| Location | Albany, Georgia |
| Hospital | Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital |
| Hospital Type | Non-profit |
| Whistleblowers | Dr. John Bagnato, Charles Rehberg |
| Whistleblower Occupation | Surgeon, Accountant |
| Hospital Practices | Overcharging uninsured and indigent patients, Aggressive collection tactics, Offshore bank accounts, For-profit businesses |
| Whistleblower Actions | Wrote a one-page fact sheet called "Phoebe Factoids", Sent it to lawyers, businesses, insurance companies, and the media |
| Reaction to Whistleblowing | Threats, intimidation, prosecution, legal action |
| Impact | Selected by prestigious film festivals, Screenings and discussions across the nation, Inspired investigations into local non-profit hospitals |
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What You'll Learn
Whistleblowers Dr. John Bagnato and Charles Rehberg
In 2003, Dr. John Bagnato, a surgeon, and Charles Rehberg, an accountant and administrator of Bagnato's private practice, uncovered evidence of unscrupulous practices at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany, Georgia. Phoebe Putney, a non-profit hospital, was found to be overcharging uninsured and indigent patients and employing aggressive collection tactics to recover costs. The pair also discovered that the hospital was reaping tens of millions of dollars in tax exemptions while failing to provide charity care to uninsured patients, with uninsured patients being charged significantly more than other patient groups.
Bagnato and Rehberg spent hundreds of hours investigating hospital finances, initially suspecting the hospital of interfering in state rules that blocked their plan to open an outpatient surgery center across the street from Phoebe. As they delved deeper, they became convinced that Phoebe and other nonprofits were not fulfilling their charitable mission. They sent faxes to local politicians and businesses, including a cartoon of a "Phoebe Exec" with a caption asking if there was corruption at Phoebe. In response, Phoebe filed a defamation suit against Rehberg and "coconspirators", claiming harm to its reputation.
Bagnato and Rehberg faced personal intimidation, threats to family members, legal coercion, and aggressive publicity efforts by Phoebe Putney to pressure them to stop their campaign. Despite these challenges, they persevered in their pursuit of justice and fairness for uninsured patients across the country. Their efforts were recognized by Money Magazine, which named them "Class Acts of 2004" for bringing hospital billing abuses to light.
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Overcharging of uninsured patients
The 2009 documentary film 'Do No Harm' tells the story of two whistleblowers, surgeon Dr. John Bagnato and accountant Charles Rehberg, who expose the unethical practices of Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany, Georgia.
In 2003, Bagnato and Rehberg discovered evidence that the non-profit hospital was overcharging uninsured and indigent patients and using aggressive tactics to recover costs. They found that the hospital had millions of dollars stashed in offshore bank accounts and was transferring money to for-profit businesses, despite its non-profit status.
The film highlights the issue of non-profit hospitals charging the uninsured more for services than the insured, and not providing sufficient free care despite receiving tax breaks. This practice was not isolated to Phoebe Putney but was found to be occurring in non-profit hospitals across the country. The film brought attention to the financial exploitation of vulnerable patients and the corruption within the healthcare system, with executives of Phoebe Putney living lavish lifestyles in one of the poorest parts of Georgia.
The whistleblowers faced threats, intimidation, and legal repercussions for their actions, but their courage inspired others to investigate and expose similar practices in their local hospitals. The film sparked discussions around healthcare reform and the role of non-profit hospitals, challenging the assumption that they primarily served to provide free or low-cost care to the uninsured.
The overcharging of uninsured patients by Phoebe Putney Hospital and other non-profit hospitals in the United States is a form of price gouging that takes advantage of vulnerable individuals who lack access to affordable healthcare. This practice can lead to financial hardship, deter people from seeking necessary medical treatment, and exacerbate existing social and economic inequalities. The actions of Bagnato and Rehberg in bringing this issue to light demonstrate the importance of transparency and accountability in the healthcare sector, as well as the potential for media and film to drive social change.
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Aggressive collections tactics
The 2009 documentary Do No Harm uncovers the aggressive collection tactics used by Phoebe Putney Hospital, a non-profit hospital in Albany, Georgia. The film centres on two whistleblowers, Dr. John Bagnato and accountant Charles Rehberg, who stumbled upon evidence of the hospital's unethical practices in 2003.
Phoebe Putney Hospital was found to be overcharging uninsured and indigent patients and using aggressive collection tactics to recover costs. The hospital's influence was widely felt in the community, and many residents either worked at the hospital, were treated there, or owed the hospital money. The film reveals that the hospital had millions of dollars stashed in offshore bank accounts and lucrative for-profit businesses, despite its non-profit status. This discovery led to public outrage and sparked investigations into similar practices at other non-profit hospitals across the country.
One of the aggressive collection tactics employed by Phoebe Putney Hospital involved sending ex-FBI agents to confront Rehberg. The hospital also filed a civil suit against the whistleblowers, alleging defamation, fraud, and racketeering. The film depicts how Bagnato and Rehberg became targets of threats and intimidation and were eventually prosecuted by local authorities for their whistleblowing activities.
In their investigation, Bagnato and Rehberg discovered that the hospital had transferred millions of dollars to offshore bank accounts in the Cayman Islands. The hospital's executives enjoyed lavish lifestyles, including corporate jets, expensive trips, and extravagant spending on entertainment. The CEO of the hospital, Joel Wernick, received an annual salary of $682,550, while the hospital avoided paying $22 million in taxes due to its non-profit status.
The film sparked public debate and political attention, with Senator Charles Grassley holding hearings in Washington, D.C., on the issue of non-profit hospitals overcharging uninsured patients. The hearings put pressure on Phoebe Putney Hospital to change its practices, although no legislation was proposed to address these issues. The film also led to a series of lawsuits against 50 hospital systems across the country, indicating the widespread nature of these unethical practices.
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Offshore bank accounts
The 2009 documentary film Do No Harm exposes the financial practices of Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany, Georgia, a non-profit hospital with significant influence in the region. The film centres on the story of surgeon Dr. John Bagnato and accountant Charles Rehberg, who uncovered evidence of the hospital's unethical practices. This included overcharging uninsured and indigent patients, resulting in millions of dollars in profits that were transferred to offshore bank accounts in the Cayman Islands.
Phoebe Putney Hospital, with its non-profit status, was exempt from paying millions in taxes annually. However, the film reveals that the hospital had accumulated $2.6 billion in cash, with large sums being funnelled into these offshore accounts. The discovery of these hidden funds sheds light on the lavish lifestyles of the hospital's executives, who enjoyed corporate jets, luxurious trips, and extravagant spending on entertainment and leisure activities.
To expose these practices, Rehberg created a fact sheet titled "Phoebe Factoids", which he distributed to lawyers, businesses, insurance companies, and the media. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution picked up the story, bringing public attention to the hospital's profit-driven nature. The fallout from these revelations led to intimidation tactics, with Rehberg facing a threatening encounter in a parking lot, and both whistleblowers eventually facing prosecution from local authorities.
The impact of the film reached beyond Phoebe Putney Hospital, sparking investigations into the practices of other non-profit hospitals across the nation. It raised questions about the broader healthcare system and the exploitation of patients by wealthy, non-profit hospital corporations. The film prompted discussions about the role of non-profit hospitals, which were assumed to provide significant free or low-cost care to the uninsured, but instead engaged in questionable billing practices.
Do No Harm highlights the courage and persistence of Bagnato and Rehberg in speaking up against these injustices and has inspired advocates and policymakers to address fundamental healthcare reform and protect whistleblowers. The film has been screened at prestigious film festivals and distributed to influential figures in healthcare and government, contributing to a growing conversation about healthcare ethics and transparency.
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Public reaction and impact
The documentary film Do No Harm sparked strong reactions from viewers and had a significant impact on public perceptions of non-profit hospitals. The film brought to light the questionable financial practices and aggressive collection tactics of Phoebe Putney Hospital, a non-profit hospital in Albany, Georgia.
The film centres on two reluctant whistleblowers, Dr. John Bagnato and accountant Charles Rehberg, who stumbled upon evidence in 2003 that the hospital was overcharging uninsured and indigent patients. They discovered that the hospital had millions of dollars in offshore bank accounts and was engaged in lucrative for-profit businesses, despite its non-profit status. As a result of their findings, Bagnato and Rehberg became targets of threats and intimidation and were prosecuted by local authorities.
The public reaction to the film was one of astonishment and outrage. Many viewers were unaware of the extent of the financial practices of non-profit hospitals and were moved to investigate the practices of their local non-profit hospitals. The film sparked discussions and community events across the nation, with viewers expressing their support for Bagnato and Rehberg's courage and persistence in speaking up against hospital corruption and the plight of the uninsured.
The impact of the film extended beyond public awareness and sparked conversations about healthcare reform and the role of non-profit hospitals. Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) held hearings in Washington, D.C., on the issue of non-profit hospitals charging the uninsured more for services and not providing adequate amounts of free care despite receiving tax breaks. While Grassley did not propose legislation to punish hospitals, the hearings put public pressure on Phoebe Putney Hospital and other non-profit hospitals to reevaluate their practices.
The film also had a lasting impact on the healthcare industry, with healthcare workers and organisations screening the film and participating in panel discussions to address the issues raised. The film shed light on the systemic issues driving dedicated healthcare providers to burnout and self-harm, and it inspired efforts to advocate for fair wages and safe work hours for residents and interns.
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Frequently asked questions
The movie tells the story of two reluctant whistleblowers, Dr. John Bagnato and accountant Charles Rehberg, who expose hospital corruption and the exploitation of the uninsured at Phoebe Putney Hospital in Albany, Georgia.
Dr. John Bagnato and accountant Charles Rehberg discovered that Phoebe Putney Hospital was overcharging uninsured patients, using aggressive collection tactics, and stashing millions in offshore bank accounts.
The two whistleblowers in the movie are Dr. John Bagnato, a surgeon, and Charles Rehberg, a certified public accountant.
Bagnato and Rehberg became targets of threats and intimidation and were prosecuted by local authorities. Their actions, however, drew attention to the financial practices of non-profit hospitals and inspired others to investigate and push for healthcare reform.
"Do No Harm" was broadcast on PBS stations across the nation and has been screened at several prestigious film festivals. It may be available on platforms like PBS or HBO, where other documentaries by the same director, Danny Alpert, have aired.
