Hospitals Use Personal Data To Assess If Patients Can Pay
A growing number of hospitals are accessing patients' credit reports or contracting with outside services to predict patients' incomes and how likely they are to pay their medical bills. Consumer advocates say the practice creates the potential for hospitals to misuse the data by denying or reducing care to patients who cannot afford it.
- "Why Hospitals Want Your Credit Report" (Rubenstein, Wall Street Journal, 3/18).