The doctor will see your credit now

[katty]

more; http://redtape.msnbc.com/2008/01/the-doctor-wi-1.html#posts

The doctor will see your credit now

Posted: Friday, January 18 at 04:32 am CT by Bob Sullivan

The folks who invented the credit score for lenders are hard at work developing a similar tool for hospitals and other health care providers.

The project, dubbed “MedFICO” in some early press reports, will aid hospitals in assessing a patient’s ability to pay their medical bills. But privacy advocates are worried that the notorious errors that have caused frequent criticism of the credit system will also cause trouble with any attempt to create a health-related risk score. They also fear that a low score might impact the quality of the health care that patients receive.

Fair Issac Corp., developer of the FICO credit score, is one of several investors in Healthcare Analytics, the Massachusetts start-up that is developing the hospital risk tool. Another investor is Tenet Healthcare Corp, one of the nation's largest hospital operators. Stephen Farber, who resigned as chief financial officer of Tenet in 2004, is the CEO of Healthcare Analytics.

Several published reports have described Healthcare Analytics product as a MedFICO score, computed in a way that would be familiar to those who've used credit scores. The firm is gathering payment history information from large hospitals around the country, according to a magazine called Inside ARM, aimed at “accounts receivable management” professionals.

[gateley]

1. Anybody else see Debtors' Prisons on the horizon? nt

[katty]

2. my thought exactly - my friends with great credit

for years have a current good business and income, they happened to be a few days late on their AMEX bill and AMEX cancelled their card--and their payment history is stellar.

[gateley]

6. And I was thinking that especially NOW,

people who have been exemplary in paying their bills, are hit with the unbelievable increases in food, gas, clothing -- EVERYTHING -- while their salaries remain stagnant. And many are having to choose between making a mortgage payment and putting food on the table.

This is just so WRONG. So is what happened to your friends. Living in the U.S. is becoming scary.

[katty]

7. yes, indeed those have become the choices for so many and

I don't see any return to sanity and dare I write, 'fairness' anytime soon. we are heading into a recession (probably already there-that is my guesstimate)and huge financial institutions are borrowing furiously from peter to pay paul-it's a fire sale-just like the subprime catastrophe.

[sueh]

3. Disgusting. Yet another reason why we need single-payer health coverage.

[gateley]

4. Yes! nt

[Arkansas Granny]

5. One of our local hospitals announced a few weeks ago that if

you show up at the emergency room with a condition that is not deemed to be an emergency, you will be asked for a payment before treatment. They will set up payment terms for the balance. Many people use the emergency room as their primary physician because it's almost impossible to see a doctor any more if you don't have insurance or cash at the initial visit.

[DaveJ]

8. EVERYTHING is being taken from us...

Why can't our presumably selected officials in charge at least acknowledge these problems, and show some regard for where this is leading us:

1. Health care that is easily accessible in every other industrialized nation is being withheld...
2. Homes that were once the cornerstone of our culture are now mostly owned by the banks...
3. Even food is now mostly artificial; real food costs at least 3 times as much...
4. How many people can actually afford a vacation anymore....
5. Our careers and work locations are more often than not chosen for us...
6. Forget about privacy or freedom of speech, at work or even in our own 'residences'...


My only hope is that this trend, which seems to have accelerated over the past 7 years, will end when we get a new administration. If there is no improvement after then, I think it will be too late to expect any kind of civilization as we know it to continue in the U.S.

[ursi]

9. Mad Maxi is around the corner ...

[snagglepuss]

10. A Canuck here. On Sunday I found a lump in my breast. Monday

I called my doctor. Given that I had a benign breast tumor 20 years ago, the receptionist booked me in for an appt the next day (otherwise I would have waited 2 weeks because my doctor is home recuperating from a hip replacement so her colleagues are seeing her patients.) Luckily the lump is most likely finiculitis which only needs antibiotics but to be sure the doctor took a culture to be analysed and booked me for a mammogram.

Cost : $0.00

Christmas Eve I was bedridden, thought I had strep throat it was beyond painful. Couldn't find a walk-in clinic near me, went to what's call an Urgent Care Centre at a hospital, waited 15 minutes. Saw doc. Got blood test. Got throat swab.

Cost : $0:00


I relate these stories in case you run into people who think Canada's public health system is crap. I can't believe what you guys have to endure. I was so freaked out when I found the lump, I don't know how I would have been able to cope with the stress Americans must face if they don't have insurance.

Yeah we pay more taxes but with all the health care I have received in my life I've gotten far more than I've paid out.

[midnight]

11. Thank you for sharing..... It is absolutely crazy to hear this.

Why in the hell do Americans keep falling for this corporate line-you can't afford to have free health care when every free country does.

[katty]

12. it's total bullcrap perpetuated by AMA and BIG Pharma

the largest advert dollars for primetime are for SUVs, luxury cars and and big pharma ads--how anyone cannot see the obvious bamboolzement of the public at large is beyond comprehension.

[snagglepuss]

13. It can't be half as crazy as when I hear stories from the US.

From what I've heard some doctor's have to call HMOs to get approval for tests. I would seriously freak out if an HMO told my doctor to hold off on testing because my condition can simply be treated with antibiotics.

[katty]

14. well, that is true-it's horrific-the U.S. is 'backward' amongst

other nations because of GREED-that is the bottom line. Investors in large Pharma/Medical companies/institutions in U.S. are also from other countries, so it can be lucrative for them as well-HMO's, etal - Richard Nixon loved the idea 'managed care' when it was first intro'd - and how long ago was that?!

[katty]

16. HMO Whisteblower Dr. Linda Peeno (LINK)

http://www.democracynow.org/2007/6/21/hmo_whisteblower_dr_linda_peeno_on

[gateley]

15. I'd be more than willing to pay higher taxes for that kind of health care.

I understand that it was a PROCESS getting to where it's at today.

What was the first step? (I'm wondering if we're even in the general vicinity.)

Happy to hear you're okay!

:hi:

PS -- what about prescriptions? Same deal -- cost: $0?

[snagglepuss]

17. Ontario only has a drug plan for seniors and welfare recipients,

Other provinces do have drug plans. However Ontario like other provinces controls drug prices so drugs cost less than in the US.

The first step happened back in the early 60's when the New Democratic Party was headed by Tommy Douglas, a former minister from Manitoba who made it his life's work to bring in socialized medicine. Despite heavy opposition from doctors it came into being when Canada had a Minority gov't - Douglas agreed to support the Liberals only if they brought in public healthcare.



edit <<Douglas didn't wear his religion on his sleeve. He chose to walk the walk rather than talk the talk.>>

[gateley]

18. Thanks for the info -- I wish others were as committed to socialized medicine

as Dennis is. It's frustrating that they are all willing to try to patch up the current 'system' -- which is why we're in this situation to begin with.

:hi:

[OneBlueSky]

19. we are The Corporation . . . and we OWN you! . . . n/t

.