If you are overwhelmed with medical bills, but don't want to negotiate with your doctors or hospitals, it may be time to turn to a medical debt collection agency for help. You can make use of medical debt collection agencies to help you collect outstanding medical bills and pay them off. You might need to contact these agencies on your own to find out if you qualify for assistance. You can also look online for a list of reputable agencies.
Better Approach: Hire a medical debt collection agency instead of trying to negotiate directly with your doctors or hospitals. Collection agencies have been around in the United States since you can't beat their efficiency, cost, and skills needed to collect outstanding medical bills from past due patients.
However, these agencies don't operate on a "you get your money back" basis so if you can't pay, you're not out of luck. The agents will try to negotiate directly with the doctors or hospitals to collect on the outstanding balance. If you're past due and haven't been paid by the doctor or hospital, it's best to attempt to work out an arrangement directly with them to avoid the possibility of legal action against you.
Don't Accept Payment Plan: Although some doctors and hospitals may have payment plans set up, this doesn't always mean that the patient will be able to afford his or her monthly payment. In fact, it's usually more difficult to get this type of payment plan when the patient is past due.
Medical debt collection agency can pursue collection on non-insured patient accounts at will. So even when a payment plan has been set up, it's best for you to contact the agency and explain that you just can't afford the payment. Most agencies will work with a patient who is past due and may be able to work out a solution.
Use the Phone: Another common mistake is to use the phone or internet to communicate with the medical collections agency. Most healthcare collections agencies understand that communication is the key to collection efforts. They also know that sometimes a simple phone call or e-mail message is not enough to express their frustration. Therefore, when possible, try to stay in contact with them by regular phone or e-mail.
Work With Experts: When working with healthcare professionals, it's important to consider engaging the services of an expert team. Healthcare professionals are experts on their own, but there are instances when they are in over their heads. In these instances, an expert team would make the process easier and more efficient. There are many healthcare experts in your area or online, who can assist you with collecting your overdue bills.
Keep Your Accounts Up-To-Date: Medical debt collections professionals understand that these debts are just one bill and that these medical accounts may continue to grow. Therefore, keep your account up-to-date. Make sure that payments are received on time and in full.
By keeping your accounts up-to-date, you will be able to improve your collections performance and ultimately, save money. Check out this post that has expounded on the topic: https://www.encyclopedia.com/economics/news-and-education-magazines/credit-collector
