1) Should a hospital have the right to use whatever means necessary to collect for the services it provides? Why or why not? What other means could the hospital have used to determine if patients were SSI eligible?
2) What do you think of the secretary’s action in this case? Did she have the right to make copies of patient information and send it to a radio station? Should she have been held liable individually?
3) The court stated that it could find no interest (by the hospital) that justified the privilege to disclose confidential medical information. Do you agree with the court or do you believe the hospital’s interest in collecting on unpaid bills outweighed the patients’ interest in confidentiality?
4) Under current law today, healthcare providers have the right to collect on unpaid bills. What could this hospital have done to prevent the problem that arose?
5) Do you think the law firm was engaged in a conflict of interest situation and if so, why?