Guest guest Posted December 28, 1999 Report Share Posted December 28, 1999 Mike, Yes it can go against your credit. I've had several young people come back 5 years latter and can't buy that new home after they got married, but had 5 years of money to party with vs paying any bills. You can also go to small claims(JP) court, and after that start putting liens on bank accounts etc; Ron " W. , EMT-I" wrote: Actually, it's my personal understanding that medical bills CANNOT be placed on your credit record - some sort of federal statute w.r.t. Fair Credit Reporting Act.Mike -----Original Message----- From: Jay Hoskins Sent: Tuesday, December 28, 1999 1:25 PM To: EMS Listserver Subject: [texasems-L] Re: Collection agencies Just my opinion only..... Why would you use a collection agency? Collection agencies are used too often in the medical field (hospitals, etc.). If the bill goes to a collection agency, the chances are slim & none you will get paid anyway, so you should just handle it internally. You state that write-off's are costing you big bucks. As long as you are in the black, you are doing good. Collection agencies will not increase your profits much, if any. Collection agencies are rude, and 9 times out of 10 harass people constantly. They call you at work when you tell them not to, they call you all the time, send threatening letters, but the truth is, all they can do by law is report it on your credit record for 7 years. Ethically, why should we report people who can not afford to pay for emergency medical care to a credit agency? Elective procedures, such as lasix, etc, could be reported, but someone in full arrest needs help, even though he or she may not be able to afford it. Providing the care to those who can not afford it is the price we need to pay. It is the humane thing to do. Money is material, while a person's life is not. Here are some links regarding debt collectors & their practiceshttp://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/fdc.htm Fair Credit Reporting acthttp://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/fcra.htm http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/fcra/index.html From: ny M. To: egroups Sent: Tuesday, December 28, 1999 9:33 AM Subject: [texasems-L] Collection agencies How many services out there are using collection agencies? Can you recommend an agency that has proven proficient without causing major headaches to your department? We currently have in-house billing through Sweetsoft. Our collection rate is around 70% which seems to be pretty good across the board. However, our current policy of sending three statements out and then writing off the account is costing us major bucks. ny M. ,DirectorMarble Falls EMS P.S. Before I get persecuted, we will not cut off someone's water for not paying their ambulance bill. JC eGroups.com Home: /group/ www. - Simplifying group communications eGroups.com Home: /group/ www. - Simplifying group communications eGroups.com Home: /group/ www. - Simplifying group communications Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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