A new 'credit score' for patients?

Could all this go horribly awry? Of course. Could these tools, whatever they end up being, wind up being used in ways they never intended? Naturally.

But I'm not as concerned as some others about hospitals and other providers using what's clearly intended to be a back-end solution -- applied only after care is given and a bill generated -- to the front end of the health-care process.

After all, there's nothing stopping hospitals or doctors from considering your ability to pay as a factor in your care today. They're not supposed to deny you emergency care, of course, but they're quite free to check your credit reports and credit scores if they choose. (Virtually any company with a "legitimate business purpose" can request this information without your knowledge or permission.)

• Video: Why you need long-term-care insurance

The idea of employers cherry-picking their risks also doesn't quite hold up. There will always be companies that violate labor laws, but the Americans with Disabilities Act and other legislation sharply restrict what medical information an employer can seek and use in hiring decisions, according to Indianapolis labor law attorney Steve Lyman.

Until we know more, though, I'm just adding to the speculation. And that brings up a final, critical point.

Err on the side of openness

Even if whatever they're creating isn't a credit score, Healthcare Analytics should learn from the mistakes of credit-score creator Fair Isaac. To wit:

Don't pretend your widget doesn't affect people's lives. For decades, Fair Isaac maintained that it was providing a business-to-business solution to lenders and that consumers didn't need to worry their pretty little heads about credit scores. That position was insane and unsustainable, especially as credit scores gained so much influence in our finances.

Once it has something to talk about, Healthcare Analytics should err on the side of openness and disclosure. If the tools developed will be used to affect our finances, then we deserve to know when they're being used -- and the criteria by which we're being assessed.

Liz Pulliam Weston's new book, "Easy Money: How to Simplify Your Finances and Get What You Want Out of Life," is now available. Columns by Weston, the Web's most-read personal-finance writer and winner of the 2007 Clarion Award for online journalism, appear every Monday and Thursday, exclusively on MSN Money. She also answers reader questions on the Your Money message board.

Published Jan. 28, 2008

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