I was profiled as a bad mother.” ~ Sheri Ricker I was hassled, shamed, talked down to, and more. I kept telling him no vaccines whatsoever, zero, nada. “I was pressured by our doctor from my son’s birth all the way through grade school. When the ER found the insurance card in my wallet, I was treated like gold.” ~ James Cummings Six weeks ago, I fell while trimming a tree. I went into collections and it took years to pay that one off. I still have distinct black scars people think they’re tattoos. They cauterized my facial wounds rather than stitch me up, and then dumped me on the sidewalk with amnesia. I was taken to the ER and treated like crap because I had no insurance. I felt like my appearance had something to do with it.” ~ Jay Snider “I was once denied pain meds after a fall off a 10-foot porch by the same doc who gave my pretty female friend pain meds after getting two stitches in her finger. For the first time, people share their stories: We rely on doctors to first do no harm–to safeguard our health–but profiling patients often leads to improper medical care, and distrust of physicians and the health care system, with potential lifelong consequences. Like racial profiling by police, patient profiling by physicians is more common than you think. Profiling disproportionately impacts patients with chronic pain, mental illness, the uninsured, and patients of color. Patient profiling is the practice of regarding particular patients as more likely to have certain behaviors or illnesses based on their appearance, race, gender, financial status, or other observable characteristics. Ever felt misjudged by a doctor? Or treated unfairly by a clinic or hospital? You may be a victim of patient profiling.