Forum for help with collection agency?

[jaybirdsmommy]

Hello,

Sorry for the off-topic thread. I know I've seen a reference here to a forum that can help with questions regarding debt collection agencies.

We got a notice for a doctors bill that apparently never reached us. It's almost 2 years old, the doctor's office is no help and says the bill isn't in their system anymore since it went to collections. They wouldn't even look up his records from that visit to see if the test being billed for was actually ordered for him (it's bloodwork, which he has a ton of and doesn't remember what they specifically did on that visit). When I responded to the collection agency with a request to prove it was our debt, they sent back a bill with my name, my husband's phone number, and an address in a state where we've never lived. My husband sees this doctor regularly and has been at least 3 times since the billing date and was never told he owed additional money. It's especially frustrating since it's something our insurance would have covered if we had received the actual bill (if it's even ours) in time to dispute it.

I'm not sure what to do at this point. The amount is too low (around $500) to bother with a lawyer, but I also hate to just pay it to get rid of the collection agency.

Any advice?

 

[davper]

https://creditboards.com/forums/

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

Dispute it in writing, notifying them you never received the bill, and never provided the incorrect address. Must dispute in writing and keep a paper trail. Dispute any negative credit bureau information as well.

If you provided them with the correct health insurance information, they are often bound by their contract to file the claim within a timely filing period, and if they fail to do so, may be required to write off the charge. You should dispute both issues with the physician's office as well.

 

[seashoreCM]

Much of the time a collection agency's bark is worse than its bite.

Any dispute about the bill may be presented to the collection agency in the same way it would/might be presented to the original creditor. In most cases the collection agency has less of the needed information to prove that you owe the money compared with the original creditor.

You can even tell the collection agency that "this should have been covered by insurance." Anything that is the creditor's problem (like the doctor not submitting the paperwork to the insurance company) is the collection agency's problem.

But don't ignore the collection agency. It is okay to send a photocopy of a letter you already wrote earlier, original date and all, as a reply to a repeat of the same question for which you wrote that letter.

It is strange that you are still seeing this doctor and his bills all along did not list the unpaid amount as a past due amount and in a running balance. Perhaps it was somebody else's bill where names and addresses got scrambled and your name got involved, but you should not allege that via snail mail, via email, or over the phone.

If per chance you look at your credit report and see the wrong address there, dispute that with the credit bureau too.

 

[manning]

I got a doctor bill mess up now. I had one procedure done. They miss coded it and Medicare rejected it claiming it was not life threatening. It was a follow up exam on an operation. Called their billing and they said they would take care of it. They did. I get a bill correcting the error. Now there is a $700 bill for a second procedure (echo scan).

Call up billing and they say that is what the doctor submitted. Both scans was billed for same day. OK, I say. why would I have the same scan on the same day when there was only one. Try explaining to a clerk I'm getting billed for twice for one procedure.

I know what happened. I had stitches removed and the nurse said they wanted me back in two weeks for the scan, which we scheduled. On the way home I get a call to come back the doctor wanted it done now. I went back for the scan. The nurse and I cancel the scan for two weeks out. Someone slipped up. A week later the technician calls wanting to push the scan back one day. What? I said I cancelled it. She asks why I cancelled I need the scan. I told her the scan was done last week. She says "oh, I don't have your records in front of me I'll take care of it.

To protect myself from getting a call from a collection agency I'm demanding they issue a credit. Then I can tell them were to stick it and have it entered with credit bureaus

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Be sure not to make any payments on this during the dispute process.

 

[RitaE]

You can find one of the form letters on the credit orientated boards.

Basically what you need to do is notify the Credit Agency that you dispute the bill because of the errors. The forms usually try to direct you to only address the facts in play, don't go off into tangents like "Well if I did have a blood test insurance should have covered it." Make them prove you had a blood test and then if they do, then investigate if insurance was properly submitted.

So the errors I see real quick seem to be

1. Medical Bill is in wife's name but wife has never seen that Doctor
1. Never lived at that address
2. No record of the procedure
3. No prior billing ever received for the procedure

If the Doctors office won't investigate the charge for you, they probably are not going to investigate the charge for the credit bureau either.

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

Thanks Everyone,

This was exactly the kind of help I needed. Looks like I'm going to be writing some more letters.

DH called the drs office again yesterday and found someone who would look up his records for that visit. It doesn't sound like that particular test was ordered. The bill, however, is apparently from the diagnostic lab, not the doctor. He will call them today and see if he can get any answers from them.

 

[Woth2982]

I am in a similar situation. I have received a bill for about $400, and I have a record of payment to that hospital for $477. I asked both the hospital and collection agency to provide me a detailed billing statement, and neither one will.

 

[wilkeliza]

Thanks Everyone,

This was exactly the kind of help I needed. Looks like I'm going to be writing some more letters.

DH called the drs office again yesterday and found someone who would look up his records for that visit. It doesn't sound like that particular test was ordered. The bill, however, is apparently from the diagnostic lab, not the doctor. He will call them today and see if he can get any answers from them.

Ugh sounds familiar. We paid the doctor's office and were told that would cover the labs. Next thing we know we are getting a bill for exactly what we paid the doctor from the lab company. Medical billing is getting out of control. We also tend not to get the bill and then suddenly get a collections notice. The weird part is they have our correct address and stuff but the doctor can never tell us when they sent the bill they just say the computer system sends it out. I ended up changing doctors after I was done double paying everything.

 

[supersnoop]

I am in a similar situation. I have received a bill for about $400, and I have a record of payment to that hospital for $477. I asked both the hospital and collection agency to provide me a detailed billing statement, and neither one will.

Who sent the bill? There are very different laws for debt collectors versus the original creditor. With a debt collector, after they refuse to provide the detailed accounting, you tell them that they have failed in their duty to validate the debt. Therefore it is not yours and they are to cease any further attempt to collect, remove any derogatory credit reporting, and never contact you again.

 

[GoofyPrincess]

I had the opposite problem. I received a bill for $80.11 and paid it. Then I got another one...and another one....

Silly me, I assumed that the billing would catch up. I even went online and validated that I had paid the bill and had a confirmation number. When I got the collections letter, I was furious and called the hospital. The poor lady there was as confused as I was - she could see everything I had done and it was correct.

After a lot of looking, she discovered that there were actually TWO bills for that day - one for an office visit and one for blood work and they were the exact same amount!!! The hospital had sent me the same bill (for the office visit) over and over and never sent the blood work bill. (Although I doubt I would have realized that there was a difference in service!) She said in 12 years, she had never seen that. Lol

It was an easy fix - I paid the second amount and she cleared my account. Turns out their "collection letter" is an internal department - it was never sent out to an actual collection agency.

 

[Woth2982]

Who sent the bill? There are very different laws for debt collectors versus the original creditor. With a debt collector, after they refuse to provide the detailed accounting, you tell them that they have failed in their duty to validate the debt. Therefore it is not yours and they are to cease any further attempt to collect, remove any derogatory credit reporting, and never contact you again.

The hospital initially sent the bill, when I called them to question it, since it was the same amount I had paid already, they said I had no debt with them. Then I got the letter from the collections agency this summer. I called them and said I wanted a detailed billing of every charge from that hospital. I just got a second letter from the collections agency, and I am going to call them one more time and ask for the detailed billing. I have no problem paying the debt if it is in fact accurate, but I am not double paying the bill.

 

[supersnoop]

The hospital initially sent the bill, when I called them to question it, since it was the same amount I had paid already, they said I had no debt with them. Then I got the letter from the collections agency this summer. I called them and said I wanted a detailed billing of every charge from that hospital. I just got a second letter from the collections agency, and I am going to call them one more time and ask for the detailed billing. I have no problem paying the debt if it is in fact accurate, but I am not double paying the bill.

You need to send the request in writing and mail it certified, return receipt requested ("CRRR"). Keep it simple. "I dispute this debt. Provide full validation within 30 days." If they fail to validate, then you send a second letter, also CRRR, that says, "you've failed to validate this debt. Remove any derogatory reports from my credit report. Cease and desist all communications. Any further contact will result in action in accordance with the law."

 

[seashoreCM]

I am in a similar situation. ... I asked both the hospital and collection agency to provide me a detailed billing statement, and neither one will.

You only need to send the dispute letter to the entity that sent you the demand for payment and you include a notation for them to provide you a detailed billing statement. If the collection agency sent you the demand for payment then it is up to it to get the billing details to send to you.