It is common practice for a medical debt collection agency to contact all past due patients on a regular basis. This practice can cause great strain on your life while also threatening your health. It is important for you to seek legal assistance if you feel you are a victim of medical debt collection practices. The first step is learning what constitutes a medical debt collection agency and what rights you have as a patient. A qualified attorney can inform you of your rights and explain the legal ramifications associated with such collection practices.
Step One: Contact A Healthcare Recovery Professional: First, it is important for you to contact a licensed healthcare recovery professional to determine whether you should use a healthcare debt collection agency. There are many different reasons that one might choose to contact an agency. Sometimes, collection agents will attempt to collect past due funds from uninsured individuals.
If the non-payer is unable to pay, a nurse may help the patient make his or her way to the emergency room of the hospital. This act of kindness does not necessarily violate the law, but most hospitals have rules and regulations governing what nurses may do when it comes to contacting patients about past due bills.
Second, healthcare recovery professionals also have experience in handling these situations. In some cases, agencies will contact patients with aggressive phone calls and letters demanding payment. At other times, the agency may offer a patient a settlement in which the agency will purchase the patients' future accounts receivables. These types of purchases are not illegal and there is rarely a reason why patients should avoid making them. However, a lawyer can inform you of your rights and options should you decide to pursue such sales.
Third: Hire A Medical Debt Collection Agency: After you have determined that a medical debt collection agency is harassing you or your family, ask the provider to stop contacting you by phone or sending collection letters. Some agencies will stop the harassment after you request their assistance. You should also ask the agency to refrain from contacting your family or friends.
Many of these third party collections will continue to visit friends and relatives until the account is paid in full. It is also very important that the agency not offer a guarantee of repayment. Most providers will work hard to find creative methods to ensure repayment, such as offering guaranteed payments over time or allowing patients to make partial payments until the entire balance has been satisfied.
Fourth: Contact Medicare or Medicaid. These third party medical collections agencies cannot contact private patients about unpaid medical bills. These third party agencies are prohibited from sending out medical notices to patients, regardless of the bill being owed. In addition, these agencies are also prohibited from contacting the patients regarding their Medicare or Medicaid status.
Finally, contact the Better Business Bureau. This organization can provide you with a list of legitimate third party medical debt collection agencies along with customer reviews. However, patients should avoid agencies with many complaints against them. You should also request information on past due accounts that could be connected with your particular medical practice.
Past due account information is useful in determining whether the collections agent is being cooperative or abusive in its attempts to collect past due accounts from medical offices. This post https://www.britannica.com/topic/debt will help you understand the topic even better.
