More hospitals demand payment on the spot

NorthJersey.com, January 24, 2012

North Jersey hospitals increasingly ask patients for cash deposits or credit-card imprints before they undergo surgery or high-priced tests. They know it's easier to collect when the patient is in the waiting room, anxious to get a medical problem diagnosed or treated. Under intense financial pressure, hospital financial executives no longer wait months to bill the patient after insurance has paid.