Hospitals look for new ways to collect unpaid medical bills

Patients who end up with hefty medical bills now have another payment option: an interest-free loan without the worry of a credit check. As patients' deductibles continue to rise, leaving them unable to pay for services in one lump sum, health finance experts say hospital officials are looking for creative ways to collect on patient balances. Five months ago, SSM Health Care inked a deal with Commerce Bank to offer these interest-free loans with three- and five-year terms to patients in the health system's four-state footprint — Missouri, Illinois, Oklahoma and Wisconsin.