I have an old account showing on my credit report. Several years ago, I received services at an emergency room here in Austin for a boxer's fracture (Yes, I was boxing). I paid the hospital for my visit at the time and then went on my way. Shortly afterwards, I lost my position at work and ended up moving to a cheaper apartment. I pulled my credit report more than a few months later and there was a fee for the visit showing as a negative.

Capitol Emergency Associates
$134

The debt was sent to Medical Business Bureau. I contacted my former employer regarding the matter and spoke with their human resources department. They contacted the insurance company (Aetna) who admitted to a billing mistake and paid the amount owed.

The debt is now showing as Paid/Closed. How do I get this removed? I spoke with Capital Emergency Associates and the lady on the phone says that medical collections do not impact a credit report as much as a regular entry and that a paid collection has no impact at all. I feel she's incorrect. She also said that they would not remove the entry as a negative from my account.

Do I have a course of action that I can take to have this removed since the insurance company paid up on their mistake?

Make sure you have opted out:
http://whychat.5u.com/OPTOUTINST.HTML
Delete any old address if you have moved within the last 8-10 years

Send any CRA who is reporting the medical collection this:

http://whychat.5u.com/hipaadisp.html
Follow the instructions!
If the account is NOT deleted with this initial letter, then post in this thread for further assistance

Stop talking to the CA!

Hi,

Thanks for the response.

Opt out - Check - I actually did that a while back.

This will sound silly, but I couldn't find anything readily available to explain it to me. On the letter it has a blank for certified mail #xxxx. I assume this comes from the post office. Does this require that the letter be handwritten to fill in the blank at the post office, or do I just type the letter, print it on stationary in the colored ink designated, and then fill in the blank by hand at the post office? I'm sorry. I know it sounds like a stupid question, but I've never sent anything via certified mail before.

Thanks again for your time.

Not silly or stupid, at all.
You can actually pick up the CM forms from the P.O. prior to writing your letters, so you can include the numbers as you work on them.
When the letters are ready to mail, you take them in, pay the postage and they will postmark section of the form, for you to keep, as proof that they were mailed.


HTH

It is not, IMO, necessary to get the receipt stamped at the PO or to have the PO affix the postage.
Remember the INITIAL dispute letter to the CRA should look as UNPROFESSIONAL as possible, it is also NOT designed to be used in any "legal" action. I suggest affixing the certified mail sticker to the envelope yourself and using a variety of postage stamps in varying denominations to make the envelope stand out as OBVIOUSLY coming from a CONSUMER.

FWIW, this is how the clerk added the postage to my letters, she didn't use printed postage. In fact, looking back, she probably did a better job making it look "unprofessional" than I would have.

Thank you for your response. I took care of this over lunch.

When the insurance company makes a billing error and agrees to correct it, is the process the same? I'm confused as to how to handle one that shows as being unpaid. HR tells me that the procedure is covered under our policy and advised me to contact the insurance company to resolve payment. Do I just use the same procedure for both incidents?