Is it reasonable to check my patient's credit history before I start treatment ?

Yes. It is reasonable to expect that full payment will be made for services and a credit check may provide a measure of comfort in this. Be sure to adhere to all fair credit rules, including obtaining the patient's permission for the credit check. To assure that there is no discrimination against a patient because of race or disability, your office should either avoid making reference to the patient’s race or physical disability or simply run credit checks on all new patients.