CA Validated; I Confirmed Relationship w/OC - w/complications. What now?

[HoustonLynne]

I've been hanging around CB for a few months and have made significant progress, but I admit that I didn't follow a very organized Game Plan. I've learned SO much, but I also made the mistake of following only bits-n-pieces of the advice I've seen on here along the way. Now I find myself somewhere in the middle of dealing with several medical collections, and I'm hoping that WhyChat The Wise & Wonderful can help me salvage something from the (albeit haphazard) work I've already invested. Go easy on me, WC...I'm a noob!

Please keep in mind that I started the DV process on all collections before I found WhyChat's Method, and I was having success with the low-hanging fruit. But now I'm stuck on a few pesky ones from a total of 3 CAs. This post will focus on only ONE of those CAs, who lists 3 TLs showing in varying combinations on all 3 CRAs. It's also the only one that...

1. I KNOW is mine (actually, there are 3 small accounts listed by one CA, all from same OC)

2. I can pay in full immediately (under $200 combined total)

3. I have confirmed the CA is in a current relationship with the OC (I spoke to the billing dept of OC today. I KNOW...BAD idea, but it turned out to be a GOOD thing in this case. I'll explain in a moment.)

Here are a few facts:

A. The TLs are for an urgent care clinic (2 separate locations in a national chain)

B. The dates of service are 8/2009 & 9/2009

C. I'm in Texas -- SOL is 4 years, so I'm up now & the end of next month

D. I had some really crappy insurance at the time that denied more than 50% of all claims for a full year b/c they hadn't received an affidavit I sent regarding pre-existing conditions. After a year of this, I finally got to the bottom of it and they went back and re-processed about 2 dozen claims (labwork, imaging, specialists, etc.) that they previously denied. (This is important to the story!)

Here's the scoop: I spoke to the OC today, because the CA validated when I disputed a couple of months ago. Actually, they sent several screen shots from the patient invoicing system of the OC, which listed my insurance info and itemized my diagnosis and all billing activity. BUT since there's no date on the documentation that indicates they obtained it from the OC RECENTLY, I wanted to be sure, as the debts are 4 years old. So I called the corporate office of the OC and spoke to the billing department. The guy was super nice and gave me his direct number to call back if I need to.

Here's what I learned from Jim in Patient Accounting:

1. The largest of the 3 "outstanding invoices" listed by the CA ($110) was PAID by my insurance carrier at a later date, with the exception of $20 of it that was applied to my deductible. And they wrote off the $20 b/c it was too minimal to assign to collections. So that one is null, unless I want to pay that $20 on principle (which I'm seriously considering doing, and that's part of my upcoming question.)

2. I DID ask him if he can send me anything in writing that shows that invoice for $110 as being "paid" (bearing in mind that the $20 was written off,) but I really don't think he was listening because he was busy keying around to confirm the info he had just given me. He was clearly "thinking out loud" of how he could best help me. (see #4 below)

3. The remaining 2 invoices are for $87 each, and they were for something that I am certain was NOT covered by my crappy insurance.

4. He said I can pay them (OC) directly if I want to, but he cautioned me that he has no way to remove the reporting from my CRA reports. He said the only thing he, personally, can do is take a payment if I choose to do that, and then he will "email the lady who handles Texas" (whatever that means) and let her know I've paid the 2 delinquent accounts and that the other one is reported in error. But he never claimed that his email would result in any specific CRA action. Of course, I graciously declined his offer and told him I'll call back if I have any other questions.

So now for the question: Should I pay the OC (with bank-issued cashier's check) and use insert A for ONLY the two invoices THEY show as still due, and also insert B for billing error on the $110 invoice (except that I don't HAVE proof of payment, since he only told me via phone today that it was paid)...? Keep in mind that when I gave that invoice number to Jim today, he was really confused because he saw immediately that it had a $0 balance on his end. So the OC had no idea that the CA was reporting that one in error.

Or would it be okay for me to use only insert A and INCLUDE (b/c technically I owed it to them before they washed it off their hands) the $20 that they wrote off (ins. applied to my deductible) and make a note of that in the itemization of what the payment includes? Would doing this be a bad move for some unknown (to me) reason, with respect to having these totally deleted after they're paid in full?

Of course, I would send the CRA follow-up letters, as well...and follow the rest of your instructions. Thanks in advance for any help you can offer me!

[Why Chat]

Follow all the steps:

 

http://www.whychat.5u.com/GUIDEBOOK.html

 

You will be using the HIPAA letter program

 

http://www.whychat.5u.com/GUIDE%20HIPAA%20PROGRAM.html

 

If you have recently disputed ANYTHING to any CRA you will need to wait until that dispute is cleared from your reports or 60 days have passed, otherwise your new dispute will get merged.

 

Sending the initial dispute to the CRAs is the first step, you can't do anything about paying the OC without getting that first step done.

 

Assuming the accounts are verified by the CRAs AND you are SURE that the reporting CA and the CA that the Hospital assigned the account to are the SAME, you can then pay the hospital with the HIPAA letter insert "a" for any account that you are SURE is valid and correct.

 

Remember, paying the OC without establishing that the REPORTING CA has a CURRENT relationship with the OC is NOT the same thing as establishing that the OC assigned the account to "A CA". The reporting CA may have obtained their data from a data miner or may be a 2nd or even 3rd CA.

 

If you do NOT get an immediate response from the reporting CA to your initial dispute letter to the CRAs, then you need to send the reporting CA the medical DV.

[HoustonLynne]

Thank you so much for your reply, WhyChat. I hear you, and I was afraid that I needed to start over.

But just to clarify, the reporting CA is Receivable Solutions Specialists, Inc. When I called the OC (Concentra Urgent Care) yesterday, before I even identified myself, I asked the guy in billing if they are currently collecting through Receivable Solutions Specialists in Natchez, MS. The guy said yes, we are using their services. I asked him if MY past-due invoices were sent to them, and that’s when he asked me the account # or invoice #. I gave him an invoice number, and that’s when he said that particular invoice was later (after being sent to RSSI) settled by my insurance. But he DID confirm that my other 2 outstanding invoices are being handled by Receivable Solutions Specialists, Inc.

 

So if I start at the top in 60 days, and I find that all is clear for me to pay the OC directly, using your HIPAA letter and Insert A, should I pay…

1. Only the 2 invoices that are outstanding in the OC system? ($87 x2 = $174) Or…
2. Could I pay the $174 PLUS another $20 that was written off on the 3^rd invoice? (They wrote off $20 as being too small for collections. The $20 was what my insurance applied to my deductible and then paid the rest.)

The reason I’m asking is because the OC assumes there are only 2 invoices being serviced by RSSI (the CA), because the OC was paid by insurance AFTER the account was sent to collections. By including that 3^rd invoice, even though it doesn’t technically show a balance in the OC’s system, I have a reason to bring UP that invoice. Otherwise, the OC will only communicate a PAID status on 2 of the 3 that the CA is reporting. They don’t realize that the CA is still reporting obsolete info on a 3rd invoice. And I would hate for them to technically have a leg to stand on with that 3^rd invoice, based on the fact that they (the OC) wrote off $20 as uncollectible. Does that make sense…?

[Why Chat]

Thank you so much for your reply, WhyChat. I hear you, and I was afraid that I needed to start over.

 

But just to clarify, the reporting CA is Receivable Solutions Specialists, Inc. When I called the OC (Concentra Urgent Care) yesterday, before I even identified myself, I asked the guy in billing if they are currently collecting through Receivable Solutions Specialists in Natchez, MS. The guy said yes, we are using their services. I asked him if MY past-due invoices were sent to them, and that’s when he asked me the account # or invoice #. I gave him an invoice number, and that’s when he said that particular invoice was later (after being sent to RSSI) settled by my insurance. But he DID confirm that my other 2 outstanding invoices are being handled by Receivable Solutions Specialists, Inc.

 

So if I start at the top in 60 days, and I find that all is clear for me to pay the OC directly, using your HIPAA letter and Insert A, should I pay…

1. Only the 2 invoices that are outstanding in the OC system? ($87 x2 = $174) Or…
2. Could I pay the $174 PLUS another $20 that was written off on the 3^rd invoice? (They wrote off $20 as being too small for collections. The $20 was what my insurance applied to my deductible and then paid the rest.)

The reason I’m asking is because the OC assumes there are only 2 invoices being serviced by RSSI (the CA), because the OC was paid by insurance AFTER the account was sent to collections. By including that 3^rd invoice, even though it doesn’t technically show a balance in the OC’s system, I have a reason to bring UP that invoice. Otherwise, the OC will only communicate a PAID status on 2 of the 3 that the CA is reporting. They don’t realize that the CA is still reporting obsolete info on a 3rd invoice. And I would hate for them to technically have a leg to stand on with that 3^rd invoice, based on the fact that they (the OC) wrote off $20 as uncollectible. Does that make sense…?

If the accounts are verified by the CRAs from the initial dispute letter, ( you need to LIST all the medical accounts as they are reporting in each dispute letter to each CRA) then yes, you can pay the ones that are valid, that does NOT include the one that had the $20. written off unless that account is reporting as having only $20. due.

 

The only way to get a total deletion and pay the OC is to get the initial dispute letters in, otherwise you will have no way of knowing FOR SURE that the reporting CA is STILL in a current relationship with the OC.

 

IF the CA is currently reporting the "insurance paid" account for the full original amount, and IF your dispute engenders a change to the $20. then you can safely pay it ( the $20.) along with the others.

 

Of course, it is also possible that your initial dispute, if you opt out and delete old addresses (if you have moved since the date of service) will obtain you a total deletion of all the accounts.

[HoustonLynne]

I had a question about the address thing, now that you mention it. My name is rather unique, and I HAVE moved, but only to a different apartment number at the same address. Very slim chance of anyone else in Houston having my name, let alone in my complex. Would deleting help?

Also, interesting turn of events: I contacted my former insurance provider that was billed for these invoices 4 yrs. ago. EoBs are on the way by mail. The healthcare provider should have billed for the PPO discounted rate on the 2 remaining invoices, even though the diagnosis wasn't covered. So they may be in breach of contract, according to the rep. My math tells me that I owe these jokers $102.80...NOT the $284 they have reported via 3 TLs on my reports! Grrr... It was a stark reminder that we gotta do our homework, folks!

[Why Chat]

I had a question about the address thing, now that you mention it. My name is rather unique, and I HAVE moved, but only to a different apartment number at the same address. Very slim chance of anyone else in Houston having my name, let alone in my complex. Would deleting help? NO, don't bother

 

Also, interesting turn of events: I contacted my former insurance provider that was billed for these invoices 4 yrs. ago. EoBs are on the way by mail. The healthcare provider should have billed for the PPO discounted rate on the 2 remaining invoices, even though the diagnosis wasn't covered. So they may be in breach of contract, according to the rep. My math tells me that I owe these jokers $102.80...NOT the $284 they have reported via 3 TLs on my reports!Or it may be a JDB ( junk debt buyer) reporting and your insurance paid what it was supossed to pay and the accounts turned over to a CA are illegal balance billing Grrr... It was a stark reminder that we gotta do our homework, folks!

Edited August 11, 2013 by Why Chat

[HoustonLynne]

Hi Why Chat -- I'm stuck. Just to refresh you on the reason for my thread, I have 3 collections from Concentra Urgent Care in 2009 (Aug. & Sept.) on my reports, all the same CA. All three (3) are on EX and only one of them is on EQ. I previously ordered copies of the EOMBs from my former insurance company and they emailed them to me. I'm in TX, so SOL is 4 years.

Here's the breakdown:

1. Account A -- on EQ & EX -- DoS 08/05/2009 -- CA "opened" account 06/2010 - is reported for $110 -- EOMB shows I owe $20 (They failed to collect my co-pay at the visit; OC's billing rep told me they wrote it off after insurance paid, but my insurance held up payment for more than a year until Dec. 2010. OC shows this in their internal accounting system as "PAID.")
2. Account B -- on EX ONLY -- DoS 09/25/2009 -- CA "opened" account 06/2010 - is reported for $87 -- EOMB shows I owe $51.40
3. Account C -- on EX ONLY -- DoS 09/27/2009 -- CA "opened" account 06/2010 - is reported for $87 -- EOMB shows I owe $51.40

Here's what I've done so far:

1. Opted Out (long ago)
2. All old addresses that CAN be deleted are deleted. But that's irrelevant here b/c I'm still in the same apartment complex (just diff unit #) since the date of service.
3. Both CRAs "verified" (quickly) but I received no communication from the CA as a result of initial CRA dispute.
4. CA responded to my DV with full accounting screenshots supporting all 3 TLs from the OC's billing system, including medical diagnostic codes & my insurance info -- BUT the dates on the communication are from June 2010, when they first opened the collection account. (Also, as the thread headline says, I spoke to the OC billing dept more than a month ago before finding your HIPAA program. The rep says that this CA is the one they use for TX collections. BUT he was kinda passive about his confirmation.)

I'm just feeling a little skeptical that this CA is in a CURRENT business relationship with this OC. It looks like they were the original CA to get this from the OC, right...? And the OC's billing guy said this is the CA they sent my account(s) to. What can I safely assume, based on the fact that they sent me stuff that was printed from the OC in June 2010...? And since they're relying on this original accounting info received @ time of transfer to CA, it's no surprise that they continue to report the PAID collection item. It wasn't PAID by my insurance until Dec. 2010 (paperwork snafu.) Shouldn't the OC have reported such a change in status to the CA if they had an ongoing relationship...??

 

Thanks in advance for your priceless help, Why Chat.

[Why Chat]

Did you send the follow up disputes to the CRAs after sending the medical DV to the reporting CA??

 

http://www.whychat.5u.com/GUIDE%20HIPAA%20PROGRAM.html

 

As soon as you have proof of receipt of the above medical DVs, you send each CRA this:

FOLLOW UP DISPUTE LETTER TO CRAs

[HoustonLynne]

Yes, they were received but no reply, yet. I'll sit tight and update when I have more info. Thank you, again.

[HoustonLynne]

Hi Why Chat --

 

To refresh you on the 3 accounts I'm fighting, here are the details:

1. Account A -- on EQ & EX -- DoS 08/05/2009 -- CA "opened" account 06/2010 - is reported for $110 -- EOMB shows I owe $20 (They failed to collect my co-pay at the visit; OC's billing rep told me they wrote it off after insurance paid, but my insurance held up payment for more than a year until Dec. 2010. OC showed this in their internal accounting system as "PAID.")
2. Account B -- on EX ONLY -- DoS 09/25/2009 -- CA "opened" account 06/2010 - is reported for $87 -- EOMB showed Patient Responsibility was $71.40 (I paid $20 co-pay)
3. Account C -- on EX ONLY -- DoS 09/27/2009 -- CA "opened" account 06/2010 - is reported for $87 -- EOMB showed Patient Responsibility was $71.40 (I paid $20 co-pay)

I'm not sure where to go from here. Here's what I've done:

1. Opted Out

2. Deleted old addresses (but not important here, since I was in the same apartment complex at time of service)

3. Pre-HIPAA disputes (EQ & EX only -- not reporting on TU) were "verified"

4. Medical DV to CA (3 accounts; all same CA) -- they returned screen shots of OC billing info w/diagnostic codes, but the dates on them were from 2010 when collections acct was opened

5. CRA disputes after DV -- verified

6. Paid OC w/insert 'a' (Bank MO was cashed 9/26/2013) -- the amount I owed (& paid) was substantially LESS than what the CA is reporting, and it was a little less than what OC showed I owed, due to Balanced Billing

7. Follow-Up CRA Disputes to EQ & EX -- I've checked backdoors on both; EQ "verified"; EX seems to have verified one and possibly refusing to re-investigate the other 2

8. Copy of CRA Disputes and Cover Letter to OC -- they received it Oct. 3rd

 

Please remember that communication with this OC PRIOR to me finding your HIPAA Program repeatedly confirmed that they were still in a business relationship with the CA. They (OC) ALSO told me that the largest of these accounts ($110) was paid by my insurance AFTER it went to collections, so there's absolutely no reason for that one to keep being "verified."

 

No changes have been made to the reporting whatsoever since the Bank Money Order was cashed on 9/26. I am awaiting the official results from EQ & EX, but backdoors show they're being verified (2 times) and (possibly) refusing to re-investigate (2 times).

 

I have that "sinking feeling" that the CA is NOT in a current business relationship w/OC, regardless of the earlier signs. I know that this is the original CA who was assigned the accounts. And I can also confirm they've been in contact with the OC in the past 3-4 months, because someone from the OC's billing department told me (prior to the HIPAA process) that the CA had called them for updated info in the prior week. She was telling me that as she was listing all the recent activity on my account that was showing in her billing screen.

 

If both CRAs come back with all TLs verified or refusing to re-investigate...what next? Would it be "formal complaint" time...? Or have I botched something here that leaves me out of ammo...?

 

Sorry so long, and thank you SOOOOOO much for all your hard work and patience with us!

[Why Chat]

I am sorry that you "assumed" that the reporting CA was in a current relationship with the OC when it was clear from their response that they were NOT. The "updated" data the OC 's billing dept. told you that was transmitted to "the CA" may not have been the reporting CA. The reporting CA may have acquired their data from the initial assigned CA and routed your DV through the system.

 

Wait until you have a response from the follow up dispute sent to the OC,( or 2 weeks) then check your reports again via the back door.

 

If there has been NO CHANGE in your reports, send the OC the "courtesy letter" from the complaint process

 

http://whychat.5u.com/hipaaleg.html#complaint

[HoustonLynne]

Why Chat,

 

I have two questions before I mail the Courtesy Notification to the OC, prior to filing a HIPAA complaint.

 

Question #1: As I’m writing the Courtesy Letter and list the prior correspondence/payments near the end, your instructions say to list all correspondence with the OC and the CRAs; but it doesn’t mention, specifically, to include the medical DV that went out to the CA during the process. Was this deliberate? Should I NOT list that in my prior correspondence?

 

Question #2: At the very end, the instructions are to include my phone number for them to reach me, if they choose to do so. What should I say if they contact me? This OC has been known to do that. In fact, when I sent the bank money order for payment in full to the HIPAA Compliance Office of the OC, they called me and left a nasty voicemail on my cell phone saying I should have sent the payment to their BILLING office, which is in another state – she stressed that her office has NOTHING to do with accounting and billing. She told me she would forward my payment and all attached documentation to the billing office, but she stressed that she could not say whether it would be sufficient to satisfy the account, reiterating that billing has NOTHING to do with her office.

 

To refresh and update you, I have received NO communication of any kind from the OC after they deposited my bank money order for payment in full on the account. The follow-up notice I sent to them was received on 10/3/2013. The CRAs responded as follows:

EQ – only lists only one (1) of the three (3) TLs, which is the one that was actually paid by my insurance back in Dec. 2010. They “verified” it…again.

EX – all three (3) of the TLs are on this report:

1. Two (2) of them came back as “will not investigate again” on Oct. 7^th. My report shows they were last formally investigated by EX in June 2013.
2. One (1) of them was investigated and “remains” on Oct. 8^th. Clearly, the only reason they processed this one was because it had dropped off somehow earlier this year and was reinserted in late June, so that it didn’t have the notation of being previously disputed in the status of the TL.

Last thing -- in your last reply you stressed that this is likely a different CA than the one the OC originally assigned/sold the accounts to. But every time I've communicated with the OC in the past, they called out the CA by name. I never gave them the name of the CA...it was always the other way around. It's the same CA who's reporting to EX & EQ; the same one who sent me billing screen shots as a DV response. So this just really confuses me.

 

Thanks, again, for your tireless guidance and support. I'm weary from this journey, myself. I don't know how you keep up the fight on behalf of others. Truly noble of you, Why Chat.

[Why Chat]

OK,

 

You have confirmation of the business relationship:

 

 

 

But every time I've communicated with the OC in the past, they called out the CA by name. I never gave them the name of the CA...it was always the other way around. It's the same CA who's reporting to EX & EQ; the same one who sent me billing screen shots as a DV response.

 

so yes, include the medical DV to the CA in the list of communications.

[HoustonLynne]

Why Chat,

Question regarding the 10-day courtesy notice before filing a HIPAA complaint – is that 10 business or calendar days after they receive the notice?

I sent the notice to the OC’s HIPAA Compliance Office, which receives mail at a PO Box. The USPS website shows the letter was supposed to be delivered on Nov. 4^th, but the status since Monday has shown “Sorting Complete” at the USPS Unit local to them. There has been no update to “Delivered” status. Yesterday I called the USPS Customer Service number for Tracking Info, and the woman there said that the letter is most likely sitting in the Post Office waiting to be signed for by them. The previous 2 times I mailed them something, the status went straight from “Arrival at Unit” to “Delivered” within one business day – never even said “Sorting Complete.” So I’m going to wait to see if the green card arrives in the next few days, because I suppose it’s possible that the USPS person failed to scan the envelope when it was picked up by the OC.

[Why Chat]

Why Chat,

Question regarding the 10-day courtesy notice before filing a HIPAA complaint – is that 10 business or calendar days after they receive the notice?

I sent the notice to the OC’s HIPAA Compliance Office, which receives mail at a PO Box. The USPS website shows the letter was supposed to be delivered on Nov. 4^th, but the status since Monday has shown “Sorting Complete” at the USPS Unit local to them. There has been no update to “Delivered” status. Yesterday I called the USPS Customer Service number for Tracking Info, and the woman there said that the letter is most likely sitting in the Post Office waiting to be signed for by them. The previous 2 times I mailed them something, the status went straight from “Arrival at Unit” to “Delivered” within one business day – never even said “Sorting Complete.” So I’m going to wait to see if the green card arrives in the next few days, because I suppose it’s possible that the USPS person failed to scan the envelope when it was picked up by the OC.

Most OCs have a different person authorized to sign for mail. Sometimes it is a week or more before it is picked up.

[HoustonLynne]

 

Why Chat,

Question regarding the 10-day courtesy notice before filing a HIPAA complaint – is that 10 business or calendar days after they receive the notice?

I sent the notice to the OC’s HIPAA Compliance Office, which receives mail at a PO Box. The USPS website shows the letter was supposed to be delivered on Nov. 4^th, but the status since Monday has shown “Sorting Complete” at the USPS Unit local to them. There has been no update to “Delivered” status. Yesterday I called the USPS Customer Service number for Tracking Info, and the woman there said that the letter is most likely sitting in the Post Office waiting to be signed for by them. The previous 2 times I mailed them something, the status went straight from “Arrival at Unit” to “Delivered” within one business day – never even said “Sorting Complete.” So I’m going to wait to see if the green card arrives in the next few days, because I suppose it’s possible that the USPS person failed to scan the envelope when it was picked up by the OC.

Most OCs have a different person authorized to sign for mail. Sometimes it is a week or more before it is picked up.

 

I posted just a few hours prematurely -- got the green card back today.

So back to my original question: Do I wait 10 business days or 10 calendar days before filing a HIPAA complaint...?

 

Thanks again.

[Why Chat]

10 business days( excluding Veteran's Day)

[HoustonLynne]

Welcome back, Why Chat -- you were greatly missed, and I hope all is well in your world! There were a few folks who jumped in to lend a hand in your absence, and it looked like they were doing a great job. Many thanks to them!

 

Per your instruction, I filed a HIPAA complaint on the OC with the OCR on Nov. 21st (waited 12 biz days, to be safe.) But after the OC received my Courtesy Letter, something odd happened, and I wanna get your feedback. The OC received my courtesy letter Nov. 4th; and on the 7th, the CA updated both EX & EQ, to look like fresh collections -- STILL UNPAID. It still lists the fully billed amount (not "patient responsibility" from EOMB) as UNPAID. Not only do they look like newer collections, but 2 of the 3 TLs had somehow disappeared from EQ several months ago...all 3 are there now.

 

So...do I just wait for a response from the OCR about my HIPAA complaint? Any idea of the typical turnaround time for them to respond? Their website says they'll contact you if they have questions or need more info. Otherwise, they'll send you a notice on whether your complaint was accepted.

 

To recap/update: I have 3 collections (all same CA) reporting as UNPAID on both EQ & EX. (but they are all paid)

One was paid by insurance back in Dec. 2010, and the other two were paid in September via this HIPAA Program.

Dates of service: August & September, 2009

After paying the OC, all follow-up disputes were sent to the CRAs, and they came back either verified or "will not re-investigate."

Follow-up cover letter was sent to OC.

Courtesy Letter Prior to HIPAA Complaint was sent to OC.

No communication whatsoever from OC after payment or subsequent notices from me.

All 3 accounts are reporting the originally billed amount as UNPAID -- not the "patient responsibility" part. In fact, the OC insisted by phone (several months ago, before I found your program) that I owed that amount, but my EOMBs said otherwise. So I paid only the part that my insurance indicated was mine, and I included Insert 'A' with the appropriate letter from your program.

Just a reminder, the OC mentioned this CA by name on 2 different occasions to me when discussing my account. This is the same CA who's had it all along, and the OC readily mentions them by name in communication with me (prior to me finding your program.)

[Why Chat]

File complaints with the CFPB and the FTC against the CA

 

http://whychat.5u.com/hipaaftccomp.html

 

When you send a copy of your filed complaint to the CA be sure to include the phrase that you reserve the right to take civil action against them for damages.

 

Do you have ANYTHING in writing that documents the CURRENT relationship between the OC and the CA??If so, what is it??

 

Although you say the OC referred to the CA by name on the phone,

OC readily mentions them by name in communication with me

you really don't have PROOF of a current relationship and given the actions of the CA in re-aging your account and not reflecting payments that were received by the OC, I am inclined to doubt that they ARE in a current business relationship.

[HoustonLynne]

File complaints with the CFPB and the FTC against the CA

 

http://whychat.5u.com/hipaaftccomp.html

 

When you send a copy of your filed complaint to the CA be sure to include the phrase that you reserve the right to take civil action against them for damages.

 

Do you have ANYTHING in writing that documents the CURRENT relationship between the OC and the CA??If so, what is it??

 

Although you say the OC referred to the CA by name on the phone,

OC readily mentions them by name in communication with me

you really don't have PROOF of a current relationship and given the actions of the CA in re-aging your account and not reflecting payments that were received by the OC, I am inclined to doubt that they ARE in a current business relationship.

 

Yes, I'm afraid that is a distinct possibility. Is this a lost cause, if it turns out that they are no longer in a current business relationship? I realize that, without proper documentation, I'm "up the creek." The documentation I received from the CA did not have a "transmitted on (current date)" listed on it. It included several screen shots from the OC's billing/accounting system, with dates of service, doctor's names, billing codes, the dates the accounts were transferred to the CA, etc. But there was nothing that screamed, "This is being transmitted to the CA by the OC on such-and-such date." It was most likely the documentation that accompanied the debts when they were assigned or sold to RSSI. And I'm not sure if this info is helpful, but when I called the OC back in July/August (before I found your program), the billing rep said, "I'm happy to take your payment now, or you can contact RSSI, if you prefer." That was one of the times they volunteered the name of the CA. He tried to steer me to take care of it then, really, but not in a pushy way...sounded as if he were trying to appear "helpful." If it was sold outright to RSSI and then later their business ties ended, would the OC offer me the option to pay them directly or to contact the CA, as simply a matter of preference? Those may be irrelevant issues or silly questions, but I'm just trying to figure out what these people are thinking.

 

And I should clarify -- the CA didn't actually re-age the accounts. They just updated the reporting and, in doing so, added the 2 (out of 3) that were missing from EQ back on there. They have never updated their reporting outside of a response to a direct dispute with a CRA, so the fact that they did that 3 business days after the OC received my "Courtesy Letter Prior to Filing HIPAA Complaint" seemed rather interesting. All are still listed with the original DOS, they just look freshly updated, so my credit monitoring alerts go nuts when something like that happens.

 

So in light of this info, do you still suggest the FTC and CFPB complaints on the CA? Is there still any hope on this...?

[HoustonLynne]

Respectfully bumping for Why Chat

[Why Chat]

File the complaints, with the data and records you have you should get some positive results.

[HoustonLynne]

Why Chat, I wanted to take a moment to thank you for your sage guidance. I will be making a contribution to one of your suggested organizations shortly.

 

Though the final results are still trickling through the process, I just spoke with a representative at the CFPB, and it appears that all three (3) of these medical collections are being deleted by RSSI (the CA). I had to call the CFPB because their response online didn't show the verbiage the CA used in their answer to my complaint. It only indicated that it was "closed with non-monetary relief" -- I needed to know what that "relief" was, exactly! The rep is mailing me a copy for my records, but the wording was very specific to say RSSI is deleting all reference to these accounts with all CRAs. It was resolved within 48 hours of my submission of the complaint online through the CFPB portal. I've seen one of the TLs disappear from one of the CRAs, so the remaining five (3 on EQ, 2 on EX) still hang in the "processing" phase. The rep also said that RSSI's response says they will mail me notification that all account info has been deleted from all CRAs.

 

Something I found very ironic was that their detailed response says they contacted Concentra (the OC) and basically confirmed that MOST of what I said in my complaint was true -- but that there's still an outstanding balance of $51.20 (which is UNTRUE but is an issue with the OC, not RSSI, I imagine). But here's the kicker: the balance is being adjusted to zero $ "for customer satisfaction" since there was so much "miscommunication and delayed paying involving my insurance company." Ha! Customer satisfaction is an objective of a CA (or possibly the OC)!? LOL

The point is that I'm really impressed with the clout the CFPB seems to have when it comes to getting results. This particular CA only has 2 complaints listed with the CFPB database (so far), and they're jumping through hoops to comply. Let's hear it for the CFPB!!! And let's hear it for Why Chat!!!

 

Once the remaining TLs are gone and I have all documentation in hand (for my PERMANENT records) to support this completed course of action, I will start on Round Two of my HIPAA collections. I will post a new thread with those remaining two (2), both from a single CA. The only reason they got broken into two groups was because I had done some "self-guided" work on all of them before finding your program, and the ones in this current thread already had legs that were threatening to run amok.

 

Again...I very humbly and sincerely thank you for your tireless assistance. You are an angel to us in this forum.