How to handle medical collection accounts

Dallas Student · 12-23-2006, 03:46 AM

Well, I've been a member for a little over a week, but haven't posted with the exception of my introduction.

I've been a member over on CB for a while, and wasn't quite satisfied with the response that I got, so I thought I would ask.

I had a medical collection account that is on my credit report. I tried what CBers call the "Pre-HIPAA" process to get it off, and the credit bureaus just verified the information. I wasn't sure if this is mine or not, so I asked who the services were done on, date of service, etc, and still they verified. So I filed a complaint with the FTC, sent the credit bureau a copy of it, and came back verified again, without any information.

So here is my question, what do the pros here at Infinite Credit think is the best method to get rid of a $150 medical collection account?

Should I be in the process of trying to sue the credit bureaus for just verifiying the information that they don't even know is legitimate or not?

TIA.

P.S. If I need to give more background information, I will.

Pale Rider · 12-23-2006, 03:55 AM

Is it reported by the medical provider or a collector?

Have you disputed directly with whoever is reporting?

What is pre-HIPPA? I know about HIPPA, but what is the "pre" process?

direred · 12-23-2006, 06:12 AM

It's been a while since I looked at the CB site for Why Chat's process, but my understanding was that pre-HIPPA was for medical debts incurred prior to HIPPA's passage.

I should mention that I wasn't successful with any of the methods (however, given that it was falling off soon, I didn't put a lot of energy into it, either), so I toughed it out for the remainder of the 7 years. Not ideal should I ever come upon a full factual, but let's hope that's not an issue.

The idea behind Why Chat's process is to deal with the OC, send the OC $ with the "For deposit only" and the OC's name on the back, and never deal with the CA until the amount is paid. DVing the CA only jeapordizes your medical privacy.

jlynn · 12-23-2006, 09:47 AM

If you are in Texas, use our state's debt collection laws! DV the CA. They have 30 days to respond. If they don't they must delete (if you ask). If they totally ignore you, then you write their bonding company, and that usually makes stuff go away.

Before you do anything, you need to get familiar with Chapter 392 of the Texas Finance Code. There is a link to it in the Essentials Forum.

Enigma · 12-23-2006, 02:55 PM

What state are you in?

Enigma · 12-23-2006, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enigma

What state are you in?

Never mind I see you are in TX.

Enigma · 12-23-2006, 03:00 PM

http://www.healthprivacy.org/info-ur...nocat_list.htm

Quote:

Texas

Summary of Texas Statutes (1999)
Texas statutorily grants a patient the right of access to his medical records that are maintained by a physician, chiropractor, or podiatrist, to his hospital records and to his mental health records. The state does not have a general, comprehensive statute prohibiting the disclosure of confidential medical information. Rather, the privacy protections are addressed in statutes governing specific entities or medical conditions.

Dallas Student · 12-23-2006, 05:32 PM

I'm actually familiar with TFC, as I have quoted it in DVs to other collection agencies.

I just had been looking and searching the forums here to see how people handled them on this message board, as WhyChat from CB HIPAA process worked on some items, but not on all of them. Pre-HIPAA, is the process of sending out letters to the credit bureaus letting them know that you aren't aware of the account, and asking for the information that the collection agency is reporting for the original medical provider. It works in a lot of cases, and getting the credit reporting agencies to delete the information. However, I am now having to move on to something else.

On CB, they indicated that if you do the standard DV, that it could mess up your chances of getting the TL deleted. And I didn't want to mess things up.

I'm actually in the process of preparing a ITS and Complaint for Asset right now, for some old collection accounts that charged off in 1993.

Thanks so much for the information. I will go ahead and send them the standard DV next week.

Thanks again!

direred · 12-23-2006, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dallas Student

Pre-HIPAA, is the process of sending out letters to the credit bureaus letting them know that you aren't aware of the account, and asking for the information that the collection agency is reporting for the original medical provider.

Thanks for the clarification. It had been quite some time since I read that.

jlynn · 12-23-2006, 09:41 PM

Well, I only had a couple of medical collections to deal with, and TFC/bonding/DTPA go arounds worked well for me.