Medical Credit Scores unethical and illegal
Those focused on fighting hospital negligence have long been concerned that hospitals may begin to routinely consider a patient’s credit rating or ability to pay for health care when making treatment decisions. Last week in fact, in a Chicago Tribune column, Cory Franklin advocates for more federal oversight of hospitals and other health care professionals relating to credit reporting and billing. In his column, Franklin claims that the “inevitable partnership” of credit and medical histories are already being collected by at least one company in an attempt to predict how reliably patients will pay for their medical bills.
A scenario where medical tests are not conducted on a sick patient because of the patient’s low credit score is an unsettling possibility. Discriminating against patients who have poor credit or medical histories is not only unethical--it is illegal-- and opens up doctors and hospitals to medical malpractice claims. The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) specifically prohibits this practice. If you have questions about medical malpractice, please contact Chris Hurley at (312) 553-4900.
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