Understanding the UAB Medical Score Charge

A UAB Medical Score charge on your credit card statement is a fee from the University of Alabama at Birmingham's credit reporting service. This charge appears when you request a medical credit report or medical credit score — a specialized report that shows your payment history on medical bills and healthcare debt. Unlike a traditional credit score from Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion, a medical credit score focuses only on how you have paid doctors, hospitals, and other healthcare providers.

The charge itself is the cost of generating and delivering that report to you or to a healthcare provider. You may see this charge if you requested the report directly, if a hospital or doctor's office ordered it on your behalf during a billing dispute, or if you signed up for medical credit monitoring. The amount varies depending on what type of report you ordered and whether you paid for expedited delivery.

If you do not recognize this charge or did not authorize it, you have the right to dispute it with your credit card company. Keep your credit card statement and any emails or letters from UAB Medical Score so you can reference them during the dispute process.

Key Takeaways

  • UAB Medical Score charges are fees for medical credit reports or scores that track your payment history on healthcare bills only.
  • The charge may appear because you ordered a report yourself, a healthcare provider ordered it during a billing dispute, or you enrolled in medical credit monitoring.
  • Medical credit scores are separate from your regular credit score and do not affect your ability to borrow money from banks or credit card companies.
  • You can dispute any UAB Medical Score charge you did not authorize by contacting your credit card issuer within 60 days of the statement date.

When and Why This Charge Appears

The most common reason for a UAB Medical Score charge is that you or someone with access to your account ordered a medical credit report. This might happen if you were managing a healthcare billing dispute and wanted to see your medical payment history in writing. Some people order these reports to check for errors before they affect their ability to get a payment plan from a hospital.

A second reason is that a healthcare provider or hospital ordered the report as part of their collection or billing process. If you were behind on a medical bill, the provider may have pulled your medical credit report to assess your payment behavior across all healthcare debts. In this case, you would not have authorized the charge directly, but the provider would have done so as part of their business operations.

A third reason is enrollment in a medical credit monitoring service. Some people sign up for these services to track changes to their medical credit profile over time, similar to how credit monitoring works for regular credit scores. If you signed up and forgot about it, the charge may be a monthly or annual subscription fee rather than a one-time report fee.

How This Differs From Your Regular Credit Score

Your medical credit score and your regular credit score are two separate things. Your regular credit score — the one used by banks, credit card companies, and mortgage lenders — comes from Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion and is based on credit cards, loans, and payment history with creditors. Your medical credit score comes from medical-specific reporting agencies like UAB Medical Score and is based only on how you have paid medical bills and healthcare providers.

The important distinction is that a low medical credit score does not directly affect your ability to get a credit card, car loan, or mortgage. Lenders do not typically check medical credit scores when deciding whether to lend you money. However, if medical debt goes unpaid long enough, it may be sold to a collection agency, and that collection account could appear on your regular credit report and hurt your credit score.

Medical credit scores are used primarily by healthcare providers and hospitals to decide whether to offer you a payment plan or to assess the risk of extending credit for medical services. They are not used in the lending decisions that affect your financial life the way a traditional credit score is.

Disputing an Unauthorized Charge

If you see a UAB Medical Score charge on your statement and you did not request it, contact your credit card issuer right away. You have up to 60 days from the statement date to dispute the charge. Call the customer service number on the back of your card and tell them you do not recognize the transaction.

Your credit card company will ask you to describe why you believe the charge is unauthorized. Explain that you did not request a medical credit report and do not have an account with UAB Medical Score. The issuer will then contact UAB Medical Score to investigate. During the investigation, the charge will typically be removed from your account temporarily, and you will not have to pay it while they look into it.

If the investigation confirms that you did not authorize the charge, it will be permanently removed and you will receive a credit. If UAB Medical Score can show that someone with authorized access to your account ordered the report, the charge may be reinstated. This is why it is important to act quickly — the sooner you dispute, the sooner the investigation can begin.

What to Do If You Authorized the Charge

If you did order the medical credit report or enrolled in medical credit monitoring, the charge is legitimate and you are responsible for paying it. However, you can still take steps to manage the cost. If you enrolled in a monitoring service and no longer want it, contact UAB Medical Score directly to cancel your subscription. Most services allow you to cancel online or by phone, and some will refund the charge if you cancel within a certain window.

To find UAB Medical Score's contact information, look at your credit card statement — the charge description may include a phone number or website. You can also search for "UAB Medical Score customer service" to find their official contact details. When you call, have your account number or the transaction date ready so they can look up your account quickly.

If you want to avoid future charges, make sure you understand what you are signing up for before you provide your payment information. Medical credit monitoring services often renew automatically, so check the terms before you enroll.

Checking Your Medical Credit Report for Errors

If you have already paid for a medical credit report from UAB Medical Score, use it to check for errors in your medical payment history. Look for any bills you have already paid that still show as unpaid, any medical debts that do not belong to you, or any duplicate entries. Medical credit reports can contain mistakes just like regular credit reports.

If you find an error, contact the healthcare provider or hospital directly and ask them to correct their records. You can also contact UAB Medical Score and ask them to investigate the error. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, they must investigate disputes within 30 days and correct any errors they find.

You do not need to pay for a report to dispute an error. If you believe there is an error in your medical credit history, you can contact the healthcare provider or the medical reporting agency directly without ordering a full report first.

Preventing Unwanted Medical Credit Charges

To avoid unexpected medical credit charges in the future, be cautious when you are dealing with healthcare billing disputes or payment plans. Before you provide your credit card information to any healthcare provider or medical reporting service, ask exactly what you are paying for and whether there will be recurring charges.

If a hospital or doctor's office asks to pull your medical credit report, ask whether you will be charged. Some providers absorb the cost themselves, while others pass it on to the patient. Knowing this in advance can help you decide whether to proceed or to handle the dispute differently.

You can also set up account alerts with your credit card company to notify you of any charges above a certain amount. This way, you will be alerted to unexpected charges quickly and can dispute them before they become a larger problem.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a medical credit score affect my ability to get a regular credit card or loan?

No. Banks and credit card companies check your traditional credit score from Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion — not your medical credit score. A low medical credit score will not prevent you from getting approved for a credit card or loan. However, if medical debt goes unpaid and is sent to collections, that collection account will appear on your regular credit report and can hurt your score.

Can I get my medical credit report for free?

Medical credit reports are not free like your annual credit report from AnnualCreditReport.com. You typically have to pay a fee to access your medical credit report, which is what the UAB Medical Score charge represents. However, you can contact healthcare providers directly and ask them to explain what they have reported about your payment history without paying for a formal report.

What if a healthcare provider ordered the medical credit report without my permission?

Healthcare providers can order medical credit reports as part of their business operations, similar to how creditors can check your credit. However, if you believe the charge was made in error or if you want to dispute it, you can contact your credit card company and dispute the charge. You can also contact the healthcare provider directly and ask why they ordered the report.

How long does a medical credit report stay on file?

Medical credit reports typically show payment history for the past several years, similar to regular credit reports. The exact timeframe depends on the reporting agency and the age of the debt. Paid medical bills usually remain on your medical credit report for a shorter period than unpaid bills.

Should I be concerned if I see a UAB Medical Score charge?

Not necessarily. If you ordered the report yourself or enrolled in monitoring, the charge is expected. If you did not authorize it, dispute it with your credit card company. Either way, a single medical credit report charge will not harm your finances — it is only a concern if you see repeated charges you did not authorize.