Hospital made credit report inquiry??

[FLMommy]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Oklahoma

I am not sure where to post this - admin. feel free to move this.

(1) While checking our credit reports the other day, we found an inquiry from a hospital/healthcare system. We've had no bills with this place whatsoever, and any and all co-pays have and are always paid up front. Did they have the right to make the inquiry?

They must have gotten my husband's SSN off of one of the many papers we had to fill out when becoming new patients.

(2) We've since stopped giving any doctor's offices our social security numbers, but it is darn hard getting even an appointment anywhere without disclosing it (even though our insurance company eliminated the SSN as ID on the policy and substituted it with a 'random' number). Anyone have any advice on that end as well?

Thanks!

 

[racer72]

1 You answered your own question. Yes, it's legal.

They must have gotten my husband's SSN off of one of the many papers we had to fill out when becoming new patients.

Many health care providers are now verifying one's credit worthiness prior to accepted folks as new patients.

2. Like any business that is offering a form of credit, they have the right to obtain the necessary information that may be needed, whether at the time the service is provided or in the future. They do not have to provide the service if you don't want to provide the information.

 

[davew128]

2. Like any business that is offering a form of credit, they have the right to obtain the necessary information that may be needed, whether at the time the service is provided or in the future. They do not have to provide the service if you don't want to provide the information.

That's a little extreme, don't you think? Depending on the nature of the health care provided and which state its in, the health care may be legally required to be provided regardless of ability to pay.

Nonetheless I think as a general business practice, running a credit report on someone with current health insurance who only has co-pays due to you is deplorable.

 

[racer72]

That's a little extreme, don't you think? Depending on the nature of the health care provided and which state its in, the health care may be legally required to be provided regardless of ability to pay.

That would only apply to public hospitals. Health care providers and doctors in private practice are like any other business, they can choose who they want to do business with. Many are now requiring payment in full at the time the service is provided, even if the patient is insured. Nobody is the US, citizen or not, has guaranteed health care.

 

[davew128]

That would only apply to public hospitals. Health care providers and doctors in private practice are like any other business, they can choose who they want to do business with. Many are now requiring payment in full at the time the service is provided, even if the patient is insured. Nobody is the US, citizen or not, has guaranteed health care.

Guaranteed health care isn't the issue at hand. OP said it was a hospital that ran the inquiry. Again, MY POINT is that if you have valid health insurance and pay your co-payment it is VERY bad business practice to run a credit report on a patient. Just because something is legal doesn't make it right. Moreover, from a creditworthiness standpoint, it is somewhat pointless to do it when the payment for services rendered is coming from a third party that you have a contract with. If the only obligation for the patient per terms of the insurance is the copayment (which as you point out is usually paid at the time the service is provided), why do you check the credit worthiness of the person WHO'S ALREADY PAID YOU? Remember that just about every medical provider (and certainly any capable of running credit checks) has contracts in place with major health insurance companies regarding cost adjustments and payment for services rendered. By virtue of enrolling in a health care policy with one of those insurance companies, the cost of the patirent's care falls under the contract between the provider and the insurance company and the patient is no longer responsible for paying those costs except as provided for in the policy. In those instances, it is at best inappropriate to run a credit check of the patient.

 

[racer72]

OP said it was a hospital that ran the inquiry

No, she said hospital/health care system. Big difference.

Moreover, from a creditworthiness standpoint, it is somewhat pointless to do it when the payment for services rendered is coming from a third party that you have a contract with.

The insurance company is not responsible for paying the bill, the patient is.

If the only obligation for the patient per terms of the insurance is the copayment (which as you point out is usually paid at the time the service is provided), why do you check the credit worthiness of the person WHO'S ALREADY PAID YOU?

The bill is never paid after the deductible or co-payment is made. The patient is always responsible till the entire bill is paid in full. If the bill does not get paid, the doctor will sue the patient, not the insurance company.

Remember that just about every medical provider (and certainly any capable of running credit checks) has contracts in place with major health insurance companies regarding cost adjustments and payment for services rendered. By virtue of enrolling in a health care policy with one of those insurance companies, the cost of the patirent's care falls under the contract between the provider and the insurance company and the patient is no longer responsible for paying those costs except as provided for in the policy.

This has to be some of the most incorrect information ever posted in these forums. In all cases, doctors billing the insurance company instead of the patient is done as a courtesy, there is no legal requirement for the doctor to do so.

it is at best inappropriate to run a credit check of the patient.

But not illegal. That is all the OP wanted to know.

If you want to continue this argument and show your ignorance, go ahead. Just a heads up, my current main squeeze works as a medical billing specialist for a large health care provider. Her comment after reading your last post? "What turnip truck did that bozo fall off of."

 

[davew128]

No, she said hospital/health care system. Big difference.


The insurance company is not responsible for paying the bill, the patient is.


The bill is never paid after the deductible or co-payment is made. The patient is always responsible till the entire bill is paid in full. If the bill does not get paid, the doctor will sue the patient, not the insurance company.


This has to be some of the most incorrect information ever posted in these forums. In all cases, doctors billing the insurance company instead of the patient is done as a courtesy, there is no legal requirement for the doctor to do so.


But not illegal. That is all the OP wanted to know.

If you want to continue this argument and show your ignorance, go ahead. Just a heads up, my current main squeeze works as a medical billing specialist for a large health care provider. Her comment after reading your last post? "What turnip truck did that bozo fall off of."

Fine, be an ass. I also noticed that you don't seem to have a problem with the practice of dinging someone's credit without a decent reason. I also know a thing or two about medical billing, as I do the audit for a provider. And if medical providers did things like your "main squeeze" said they can, they'd be bankrupt really fast.

By the way, it's no coincidence that your "main squeeze" mentioned a turnip truck and happens to look like the cargo.

 

[racer72]

Bet it took you hours to think up that response. It's a shame you offered zero legal advice. If my girl friend looks like the cargo in a turnip truck, those must be mighty fine looking turnips. FYI, she was a princess in the 1983 Rose Bowl parade and still looks as good today as she did then. I still don't know what she sees in an old fat ******* like me.

 

[ecmst12]

What dave says only applies if the doctor is contracted with the insurance company. In that case, they are contractually forbidden from billing the patient for CONTRACTUAL WRITE OFFS. But that's not to say that all denials will be write offs, and we don't know whether this health system participates with OP's insurance either. In any case, it is certainly reasonable for the health system to run a credit check.

 

[PhlawedPharmacy]

If the inquiry was on Equifax, you can have it removed quickly with a dispute. They don't investigate. Experian and Transunion you don't really have any recourse except with the practice.

I don't believe they had permissable purpose, and certainly not without disclosing this. I'm betting though, that it was somewhere in the fine print at some point.

 

[FLMommy]

Ok, well thanks for the answers - I am almost 'afraid' to answer, and certainly did not mean to stir up this discussion, which has gotten nasty.

I re-checked the credit reports. It only shows up on one of them (sofar) and I am starting to think it might be an inquiry that does not affect the score? Even if that is so, why would do make an inquiry? We're 'in business' with plenty of place healthcare wise, and from what I can tell, noone has ever made an inquiry.

Also, the inquiry was made by a third party on behalf of -****- Healthcare Systems. The inquiry was made 2 months after we had visited one of their locations for our daughter (first time for daughter, but not first time for our family/responsible party for insurance), and there was no dispute with our insurance about whether or not serviced were covered (they were, they received prompt payment from our insurance co. they're in network - ppo by the way).

Since we've never experienced it before, I find it odd that they would run a check (whether or not one that dents our credit) when we've already been patients with them and claims and deductibles have always been paid - and 2 months after last date of service. Perhaps it made me paranoid after reading that a lot of ID theft originates in medical offices...

For those of you who work in the admin parts of doctor's offices - why do so many ask for a SSN? How necessary is that when a driver's license along with insurance card is presented? Solely for the purposed of identifying? Easier to look up in databases?

And no more nasty words or I am closing this thread But then I started it all didn't I?

 

[ecmst12]

SSN is basic identifying information, and also needed in case you DO aquire a bad debt with the practice and they need to pursue you for it.

 

[TigerD]

SSN is basic identifying information, and also needed in case you DO aquire a bad debt with the practice and they need to pursue you for it.

Bingo. SSN says who you are. For all anybody knows, there may have been some insurance fraud and they are simply verifying id data.

DC

 

[davew128]

Imagine going to an in-network doctor for an office visit based on a referral (like say, oh the OP's PPO), handing over your co-payment and insurance card and then getting a credit check run. I personally wouldn't be returning to that doctor for a followup unless there was nobody else qualified for that task. It's about permissible purpose, its about bad business practice. Unless the provider is performing work not likely to be covered or has a lot of uninsured patients, THERE IS NO NEED to be doing this. What was part of the Hippocratic Oath? Oh yes, do no harm.

 

[lealea1005]

Imagine going to an in-network doctor for an office visit based on a referral (like say, oh the OP's PPO), handing over your co-payment and insurance card and then getting a credit check run. I personally wouldn't be returning to that doctor for a followup unless there was nobody else qualified for that task. It's about permissible purpose, its about bad business practice. Unless the provider is performing work not likely to be covered or has a lot of uninsured patients, THERE IS NO NEED to be doing this. What was part of the Hippocratic Oath? Oh yes, do no harm.

And this has what to do with running credit checks??? Hippocrates didn't have to deal with co-pays, deductibles, or insurance companies, or he would have added an addendum to the oath!

In addition to what ecmst stated regarding SSN's...there are times the insurance company reps will ask for SSN's for verification, regardless of different patient ID #'s.