QUOTE(flynn @ Jan 14 2008, 11:15 PM)

I called it in with a credit card.
I used the "account number" on the invoice. It was an ER visit in July, for which I made a pymt arrangement.
My old bills at that hospital were years ago. 2 years ago?? 10 years ago?? are they on your credit reports??
They applied the payment to an old bill and said I BROKE the payment arrangement by not paying!!!
This is the billing department!!! Not a CA. Actually, I think it's a CA masquerading as a billing dept, in hindsight.
You are basically in the same situation as someone who has an old defaulted CC loan through a bank and has their checking/savings account hit for the payment. The releases you signed when you had treatment at the hospital have the same "cross-over" language in them.
I don't see any way of getting the CC Company to reverse the charge, or to sanction the hospital in any way for applying $$ paid to it on your current account to your old one. The subject of "re-aging" would only apply if the "old" account was being reported on your credit reports by their internal ( or external) collection dept. and THAT entry was changed to show payment on the OLD account and the NEW account was added to your reports.
Many hospitals who are audited by State agencies for their "no-pays" turn them over to aggresive collection agencies, your hospital appears to take a more lenient approach. Remember there is no effective "SOL" for being sued on a hospital account.