Credit check should be optional for patients

The discovery that the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) has been looking into the credit ratings of their patients is troubling. UIHC says they are seeking this information in order to determine how likely patients are to have difficulty paying their medical bills. Patients who are determined to potentially have difficulties with payment are contacted in order to inform them about services that can assist them with making their payments.

While information about these types of repayment assistance programs would no doubt be useful to a good number of patients, UIHC's using information about peoples' credit scores without their express permission is an invasion of their privacy. There also is the potential for abuse with this type of information. I agree with the people who have expressed concerns that this information could be misused to screen out patients by limiting their access to expensive treatment options or by denying the patient service.

There is a simple solution to this problem. UIHC should start offering a release for patients to sign that would authorize UIHC to review their credit report. This release should state what the information can be used for and who will have access to the report. And most important, it should be optional for patients to sign up.

Ethan Novak

Iowa City