Are Out of Pocket Medical Bills Paid for With Credit Cards on One's Medical History?

Sometimes, medical insurance only covers a portion of a person's medical expenses. In other cases, a person lacks medical insurance entirely. In either case, a person may be required to pay all or part of his medical expenses out of pocket. If a person chooses to do this using a credit card, the method of payment is not listed on his medical bill, so a person consulting these records will not know how the bill was paid.

Medical Bills

Medical billing is separate from a person's medical records, which are used to offer an account of a person's medical history. Medical records typically only include information about a person's health, as well the treatments that he has received. A separate set of medical billing records is maintained by the person's health care providers. These billing records do not count as part of the person's medical history.

Credit Cards

Many health care providers allow individuals to pay for their treatments with credit cards. In such a case, the health care provider is paid by a credit card company, which offers the card holder a line of credit. The health care provider will likely keep a record of how the treatment was paid for, particularly if the treatment was not covered by insurance.

Medical Records

A person's medical records, which make up his medical history, includes only information related to a person's physical and mental health, as well as the medical procedures, examinations and treatments that he received to maintain or improve this health. A person's medical history does not include a record of how this care was paid for, nor if the person paid for it out of pocket or, more specifically, if it was paid for by credit card.

Credit Report

When a person uses a credit card to pay for a purchase, the credit card company generally maintains a record of the purchase. When a person pays for medical bills, the credit card company records to whom the payment was made with the credit card. However, this transaction record does not include any specific mention of what treatments were paid for or any other information about the individual's health.