Medical Debt in LA County Ordinance Reporting
Background
On September 10, 2024, the LA County Board of Supervisors adopted an ordinance to make changes to Title 11 Los Angeles County Code (Health and Safety Code). The ordinance requires acute care hospitals of LA County to report data on their debt collection and financial assistance activities. This data will help inform improvements in financial assistance policies and practices, identify gaps and challenges, and critically, identify missed opportunities (e.g., when individuals who are eligible for financial assistance are sent to collections).
City of Los Angeles ActionIn February 2026, the LA City Council passed a motion to adopt the LA County Medical Debt Ordinance. It was fully enacted on March 30, 2026, and will require all 34 acute care hospitals in the City to report their data to Public Health.
To learn more about what the County of Los Angeles is doing to try to prevent and reduce medical debt for Angelenos, visit this page.
Hospital Data Submission
Guidelines
Introduction to reporting - Slide set
Reporting Schedule
| Reporting quarters | Hospital | Safety-Net Hospital |
|---|---|---|
| Aggregate Debt Collection and Financial Assistance Data | ||
| Reporting quarters: | Report due dates: | |
| Q1: January 1st - March 30th | April 30th | January 30th |
| Q2: April 1st - June 30th | July 30th | |
| Q3: July 1st - September 30th | October 30th | |
| Q4: October 1st - December 30th | January 30th | |
| Patient Level Debt Collection Data | ||
| Report within 30 days of an individual account being assigned/sent to collections | Report within 60 days of an individual account being assigned/sent to collections | |
File Submission
File name: Please use the following naming convention (NOTE mmddyyyy is the submission date)
- For patient account level reports use "HospitalNameCollectionReport_mmddyyyy" E.g., ABCHospitalCollectionReport_0812025
- For aggregate level reports use "HospitalNameAggregateReport_mmddyyyy" E.g., ABCHospitalAggregateReport_08122025
File upload: please upload the file via the data portal