Sexy Models Used by Hospital to Lure Men into Being Donors & Paying for Overpriced Lab Test

Tarted up to look like they'd stepped out of a porn movie, the models teased men into giving swabs, and their insurance companies were charged more than 40 times the going rate.

by Heidi Stevenson

20 December 2010

Lest you still harbor the belief that hospitals are all about helping people, take a note of the sales technique used by UMass Memorial Health Care. They are being investigated by New Hampshire for paying sexy models to flirt with men and lure them into having cheek swabs taken! The seduced men were charged—or their insurance companies were—over $4,000 for a test that normally costs less than $100. The professional models were hired from a Boston agency, tarted up in short black skirts, high heels, and lab coats. They tended to sport flamboyantly colored hair and have been described as looking like they'd stepped out of a porn movie.

They must have been effective, because the program was kept in place for 18 months at a cost of $50,000 a week.

These models were seen plying men at malls, and according to Dianne Williamson of Telegram.com, one man who agreed to have the cheek swab stated:

There was this tall modelly person with outrageous heels and fuchsia hair sitting on a bar stool. She was over the top. It grabbed my attention because she was the last thing you'd expect to see at a baseball game where everyone was out with the kids having a weiner. ... It was totally incongruous. I feel really bad when charities spend that much on anyone, let alone nubile models with fuchsia hair.

As Dianne Williamson stated, "It's a wonder they didn't offer a free lap dance with every DNA swab."

The charity in question is the the Caitlin Raymond Registry, which is part of UMass. They register people for stem cell donations. At question is not only the questionable tactics used to gain registrations, but also the costs to the registrants. The registration process takes place in two steps. The lab that does the tests for Caitlin Raymond is also part of UMass.

One man, Marc Ferland, who had just given a blood donation, then went to the Caitlin Raymond Registry booth to register as a stem cell donor, apparently in spite of the models. He had his cheek swabbed, but was stunned to receive a $2,000 bill when his insurance company refused to pay the full amount. The lab negotiated it down to $760, which he paid through his employer's health account.

The Caitlin Raymond Registry claims that it has no control over the lab's billing, but that claim appears questionable. Jim Boffetti, Senior Assistant Attorney General of New Hampshire, says that the relationship is much closer. In fact, he believes that money flowed from the UMass lab to the registry. Boffetti stated:

Some of the money that was paid by insurers for these tests was being used for what they would call these recruitment activities.

Ferland, who appears to be altruistically motivated, has said that he feels victimized by his good intentions. He said:

What if I'm a match for somebody? I can save somebody. If I can help somebody, I'd go on the table to do it. But I want to know that the people behind me are trustworthy. And that's not the case with Caitlin Raymond.

Claims are being made that the models were taking cheek swabs from any and all men who had health insurance to pay, including ones who were not qualified because of their age or medical history, and even men who were already on the national registry.

Whether Caitlin Raymond is guilty of taking kickbacks from the UMass lab or not, UMass appears to be guilty of operating a health care system that takes advantage of both men's sexual and altruistic instincts to gouge them and their insurance companies for profits. Whether the profits land in the Caitlin Raymond Registry or the UMass laboratory makes little difference. Both are functions of UMass, and it's inconceivable that UMass has been unaware of what's going on.

After all, when it comes to profits, all's fair in love...or is it sex?...well, whatever. Just don't be fooled into believing that these medical centers—whether incorporated as for-profit or not-for-profit—don't exist for the purpose of providing health care. They provide health care...well, sometimes...for the purpose of making profits.

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