Daily Digest – March 18. The Downside of Medical Helicopters; Call Center Laying Off 280 Employees

The Daily Digest is sponsored by TCN, a leading provider of cloud-based call center technology for enterprises, contact centers, BPOs, and collection agencies worldwide. 

ASPECT FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY PROTECTION

• Aspect Software, a provider of solutions to call centers in the banking and financial services industry, filed for bankruptcy protection last week. Aspect shares the same corporate owner as LiveVox and the two companies had been engaged in a joint venture after LiveVox was acquired by the private equity firm that also owned Aspect.

MINNESOTA LEGISLATOR INVESTIGATED FOR DEBT COLLECTION ISSUES

• The Speaker of the Minnesota Legislature is being investigated to determine whether he paid the full rate for a lawyer/lobbyist he hired to help him with several debt collection lawsuits.

MEDICAL HELICOPTER TRIPS CAN SAVE LIVES, BUT LEAVE HUGE BILLS 

• An investigation into the use of medical helicopters and the bills that patients can be saddled with yields some interesting results. One man, who was left in a trench for two hours before being airlifted to a hospital eight miles away was billed more than $32,000 for the trip. Patients are wondering why they are not given the choice to be taken in a helicopter or an ambulance. Meanwhile, an investigation in Florida sheds some light on the healthcare debts faced by patients in the Sunshine State.

NEVADA LAWMAKER IN COLLECTIONS HOT WATER

• A former state lawmaker in Nevada, Morse Arberry, who is now running for Congress, owes more than $120,000 to the state after he was caught funneling campaign contributions to his personal bank account. Collection agencies have been trying to recover the money, but have been unsuccessful.

DEPT. OF EDUCATION REMOVING LAW FIRM OVERSEEING FOR-PROFIT COLLEGES

• The Department of Education is removing the law firm it hired to oversee the turnaround of for-profit universities owned by Corinthian Colleges. An investigation found that the law firm had advocated on behalf of for-profit colleges, helped broker the purchase of Corinthian’s assets and argued in a legal brief that for-profit schools had a free speech right not to inform prospective students about poor graduate employment outcomes.

CALL CENTER LAYING OFF 280 EMPLOYEES

• Firstsource Group, a call center in Louisville that provided collection solutions, is laying off 280 employees. The company lost a large client which led to the downsizing.

WORTH NOTING: The Department of Transportation has launched a joint venture with the owner of Google to improve traffic flow in cities across the country … Four simple phrases to earn people’s trust … Why getting rid of tipping is good for everyone … Donald Trump’s butler speaks out … The incomes of the top 1% are down 19% since the Great Recession … The real March Madness is how much coaches make per win … How to properly pack a carry on bag … I thought people were joking when they told me this … Why people love Donald Trump’s wealth, but hated Mitt Romney’s … A huge “Breaking Bad” secret is revealed.

Glass that can bend in half

Sneakers that lace themselves

The Daily Digest is sponsored by TCN, a leading provider of cloud-based call center technology for enterprises, contact centers, BPOs, and collection agencies worldwide.