The electronic system that manages patient information for the University of Mississippi Medical Center now includes a field for “citizenship,” but the medical center won’t say why it added the category.
The field was not added by Epic, the electronic health record system used by UMMC, a spokesperson for the software company told Mississippi Today.
“Each organization configures Epic’s software to meet their specific needs,” the spokesperson said.
The field is optional and UMMC staff are not required to input the information or ask patients about their citizenship status, a clinical staff member told Mississippi Today. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity due to job concerns.
A UMMC spokesperson declined to answer Mississippi Today’s questions about the change.
Mississippi does not require hospitals to collect citizenship information from patients. Baptist Medical Center and St. Dominic Hospital, two other large hospitals in Jackson, both use Epic but do not have a field for citizenship in the system, nor do they ask patients for that information, spokespersons for both hospitals told Missisisppi Today.
Patients are not legally required to disclose their immigration status if they are asked by a health care provider, according to the National Immigration Law Center. Hospitals must provide emergency medical services to patients regardless of their citizenship status under federal law.
Texas hospitals began collecting patient citizenship information last November after Republican Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order mandating that facilities collect the information.
The order seeks to quantify the financial burden Texas bears as a result of illegal immigration. Hospitals must report the cost of medical care provided to undocumented individuals quarterly, but individual identifying information is not shared with the governor. Texas hospitals were directed to inform patients that responses to questions about citizenship would not affect their care.
Kate Royals contributed reporting to this story.
