From reading this forum I have gathered the following information. Please correct me if Im wrong.


1. Hospitals CANNOT sell your past due accounts to ANY collection agency. (Against my HIPPA rights).
2. Private Doctors CANNOT sell your past due accounts to ANY collection agency. (Against my HIPPA rights).

If I owe money to either of the above 2 institutions, I should send PAYMENT IN FULL to the Original Creditor (Hospital or Doctor). Then ask them to remove the collection request from my credit file. I should NOT maintain ANY contact with the CA. Even though they have bought my debt from the Hospital or Doctor.

Am I correct in assuming the above?


Please comment guys and gals

You are completely INCORRECT on both # 1 and # 2. ANY health care provider can/will/ and usually does sell or assign your account to a CA. HIPAA allows them to transmit any required data in order to allow them to collect the debt. In fact, in the case of "old" uncollected hospital accounts, they are often MANDATED to turn over unpaid accounts to CA's for collection and even legal action in order to recoup their taxpayer paid reimbursements.

As to your last paragraph, you do not seem to have read any of the instructions at all.

Thanks very much for setting me straight Why Chat... I will go through the threads again...

OK Why Chat, I have gone back and read HIPPA threads extensively again. Here is what I gather:

1. Hospitals and private doctors have every right to send a CA after me looking for the monies I defaulted on.

2. If I pay the whole amount due or settle the account WITH A CA, they are every right to show it on my Credit report for a period of 7 years. This is also true if I don’t settle with them but make the mistake of sending them even 1 cent!

3. However if I pay the ORIGINAL CREDITOR (Hospital or a Private Doctor) in FULL and put a HIPPA letter along with my Payment, They (OC) MUST under US Law, accept the monies and remove the collection from my Credit report.

4. They MUST also communicate to the CA they have sent after me to STOP collections on my debt and remove ANY record of it from the 3 major credit bureaus.

5. NEVER DEAL WITH A CA if you have not sent them any money or agreed on a payment plan with them.

Did I get it right this time around Why Chat?

Almost,it is a little more complicated then that but if you follow ALL the HIPAA letter procedures EXACTLY it will have the desired results most of the time.

YOU MUST send the initial medical dispute letter AS IS, even though you KNOW all the information and are ready willing and able to pay the OC with the HIPAA letter insert "a". The reason for this is simple, the reporting CA may NOT be in current communication/contact with the OC, so any payment made to the OC and subsequent DISPUTE to the CRA would have no effect.