08/19/2024

Protecting Patients From Predatory Credit Offers

We are all concerned about the costs of healthcare and especially cancer care in the United States. Every day, patients and those who care for them face difficult questions about whether needed treatment will be affordable. As patients search for financial options, medical practices, health systems, and patient advocacy organizations may want to exercise increased simple diligence on options and referral opportunities that come to them offering to “help” patients.

Chris Deacon, a principal owner of VerSan Consulting with more than 10 years of experience in legal and public sector roles, including both deputy attorney general and assistant director of pensions and benefits for the state of New Jersey, uses her legal expertise to identify notable areas of concern for healthcare, including employers, patients, and providers. She recently brought to my attention concerns about patient-facing credit applications that hold significantly onerous terms and conditions in their 20 pages of fine print. Even more concerning, financing applications like CareCredit, for example, and others that offer to help patients afford medical care are engaging medical providers to market their offerings and make them available at medical, hospital, dental, and veterinary point-of-care offices.

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